


The Hunters and the Necromancer

by clotpole_of_the_round_table, raven_with_a_writing_desk



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Supernatural
Genre: Complete, Gen, Mentions of hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2017-12-21 20:23:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/904507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clotpole_of_the_round_table/pseuds/clotpole_of_the_round_table, https://archiveofourown.org/users/raven_with_a_writing_desk/pseuds/raven_with_a_writing_desk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Bianca dies, Nico makes a deal with Kronos to learn to raise her spirit in exchange for his loyalty. When Sam and Dean end up in New Hampshire for a hunt, they discover a new Necromancer and must work together with Castiel to stop him and his master from raising the dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Deal is Struck

 “Yeah Bobby, we’ll check it out.”

“New case?”

“Bobby said there’s a case out in New Hampshire. I told him we’d check it out.” Dean pressed the accelerator, taking the car up to 90 MPH.

“Dude, that’s a two day drive. Isn’t there anyone closer who could help?”

“What, you can’t be away from your demon bitch for so long?”

Sam glanced away, but not before Dean saw the hurt look cross his face “I was just thinking that much time, someone could end up injured or dead…”

Dean sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Sorry man, it’s just… you know she pisses me off. But no, there’s no one else right now. Bobby said he has them all trying to protect the seals.”

Sam just nodded, still refusing to look at Dean. “Okay. I’m gonna try to sleep. Wake me up when it’s my turn to drive.”

Dean knew that Sam wasn’t actually tired but he knew better than to push him, instead turning up the radio to try and drown out the silence between them.

 *** 

Nico di Angelo ran into the forest, not caring about the monsters he knew were lurking there. He ran, tears streaming down his face, just trying to get away. Getting away from Camp, getting away from Percy. Percy Jackson. He had sworn to keep Bianca safe. He was the reason she was dead. Percy Jackson. Nico could hear him calling, trying to bring Nico back to the camp. Nico ran faster, trying to get to the boulder. The entrance to the cave he had found during Capture the Flag was hidden behind there. He knew he would be able to escape from there.

He was close now, he could tell. Just down this hill… there! Nico could see the cluster of boulders now, sitting in a circle, hiding the entrance to the cave. He jumped over the first one, only to collide with solid ground.

“What the...?” Nico looked around, trying to figure out where the cavern had gone. It should’ve been there! He had seen it just the other day.

Percy’s voice was getting louder and had been joined by others. Nico could hear at least five voices calling for him now.

_Where the hell is it?_ Nico was starting to panic, looking for any sign of the opening but there was nothing. Suddenly he noticed a symbol starting to glow on the rock beside him. _What is that?_ The symbol looked like a Greek Delta and as it grew brighter Nico heard a low rumble at his feet.

As the noise grew louder, the ground around him slowly started to fall away. Nico quickly backed up, trying to avoid falling into the darkness. As suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped and Nico stood there facing the entrance to the cave.

Nico couldn’t figure out how it had just appeared out of nowhere but as the voices continued to get louder, he knew he didn’t have time to figure it out. Slipping into the cave, Nico fell a few feet before landing on a smooth rocky surface. Looking up, he watched as the entrance closed against the evening sky, swallowing him whole.

 *** 

“So what did Bobby say about the case?”

It was midnight when they finally stopped for food. Sam hadn’t said anything for the past few hours, only now breaking the silence.

“4 deaths in two weeks. All the vics died the same way, in the same place.”

“And we ruled out a serial killer because…?”

“They were all killed in the police station in the middle of the day, all from crushed skulls. Unless it’s an officer doing it, I think we can rule out that the thing is human.”

“Okay, so what? Officer comes back, starts killing off criminals?”

“One of the vics was an officer though. So unless he was hiding something, I don’t know.” Dean shoved the last of his fries into his mouth, watching Sam as he pushed his half-eaten salad around on his plate. Sam hadn’t been eating much lately and it was started to show. As Dean watched his brother he noticed how much leaner Sam was. He wasnot only losing what little fat he had but starting to lose muscle as well. “Sam, you need to eat – “

“If it’s happening at the police station, there would only be holding cells, wouldn’t there? Mostly used for drunks to sleep off the night and suspects. The people there, they wouldn’t have gone through any sort of court or hearing yet, a bunch of them are probably fairly innocent. So why target the police station?” Sam continued pushing his half eaten salad around, feeling Dean’s eyes on him. He knew Dean was right, he needed to eat, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Between the demon blood Ruby was giving him and his own guilt for not telling Dean, his appetite had shrunk down to zero.

The brothers sat in silence for a few minutes before Dean finally spoke again. “Seriously Sam. You’re not going to be able to do anything on this hunt if you don’t have your strength. You’re starting to worry me.”

Sam just huffed a laugh. _If you knew half the shit I’d done while you were dead, you would be a lot more than worried._ But he picked up his fork and started eating again.

Ten minutes later they were heading back out to the car, ready to head out again.

“Hey man, why don’t you let me drive for a while? You could use some sleep.”

“I’m fine Sam, I can go for a few more hours.”

“Dude you barely slept last night and just drove for seven hours straight. You keep this up and we aren’t going to make it to New Hampshire.”

Dean just glared at Sam but he knew his brother was right. After a minute he just sighed, handing over the keys before walking around to the other side and sliding into the seat.

As Sam started up the engine, Dean flicked the radio, cranking the music up to only-just-bearable volumes.

“What happened to ‘driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole?’” Sam said, trying to lighten the mood.

Dean just stared at Sam. _Is he seriously trying to make a joke? After all the bullshit he’s put me through?_ Dean could see his brother growing anxious as he pulled out of the lot, scared he had said the wrong thing and pushed Dean even further away. Sam _was_ trying, Dean could see that much. He sighed before facing his brother with a smirk saying, “but Sammy, I’m the older one and as the older brother, I get to decide what music we listen to and how loud. Older brother rights and all that. Besides, it’s my car.” Dean watched as Sam visibly relaxed, rolling his eyes at Dean with a quick “whatever dude, I’m still the better-looking one.” Dean just laughed, glad to still be able to fall into this easy banter with his little brother. “You wish Sammy.” But he did turn down the music before turning onto his side and shutting his eyes, trying to sleep as Sam drove them towards New Hampshire.

***

Nico sat where he had landed, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. After a few minutes he was able to see that he was in a tunnel running out in front of him into more darkness, but there was little else to be seen. Looking up, he was unable to see where he had fallen through the Labyrinth’s ceiling.

As he sat looking around himself, the enormity of his new situation started to dawn on him. He was alone, trapped in this dark cave that led to who-knows-where with only his dagger for protection. His sister was gone and even if he could find a way back to camp, he would never go there. He didn’t fit in there. At least with his sister he had had one friend but without her he had no one. He was an outsider there just as he had been an outsider all his life.

As this truth hit him, Nico curled up on his side, starting to cry again. He tried to hold it in, tried to control himself so he could find a way out of this place but everything seemed so… hopeless. He lay there crying for what felt like hours. Crying for his lost sister, his broken promises to keep her safe. Crying for his own situation, for his pathetic existence. Why should he live while Bianca died? Why did he deserve to live when she was the one who was actually worth something? She had always protected him, always cared so much for others. And then she had become a Hunter of Artemis, leaving him behind. She had abandoned him when he needed her most, but she had looked so much happier as a Hunter. She looked like she finally belonged, like she had something to live for. And then Percy had told him of her death.

As the memory came back, Nico felt fresh tears prick in his eyes. Finally he stopped holding back. Letting his tears flow freely, Nico gave in to the hopelessness that had been threatening to consume him since he had entered the woods.

_“Don’t cry little one. There is a way to see your sister again.”_

Nico stopped crying, looking up in shock. “Wh-who said that? Who’s there!” Nico knew his voice sounded weak, but he couldn’t help it. He was scared.

_“Do you not know me little Nico di Angelo? I know you. Mother killed by the gods, forced to go into hiding for decades to escape their wrath for doing nothing except being born who you are, what you are. And then, your sister, your own dear sister, sacrificing herself to save her friends from the gods.”_

Nico shook his head, trying to shake off the fear the voice invoked in him. That voice. It chilled him to the bone, weighed down on his very soul. Drawing his dagger to defend himself, Nico shouted into the dark, “I don’t know who you are but leave me alone!”

Nico could hear the voice laughing as if it found him amusing. The sound was worse than its voice, making Nico want to run as fast as he could in the other direction.

_“Do you think you can threaten_ me _?_ _One puny demigod against I, the father of all gods? The father of time itself?”_ The voice continued as realization dawned on Nico’s face, _“Yes Nico. I am Kronos. Lord of time, Father of the original three gods. One of whom is your father”_

“How did you know – ”

_“I told you, I know all things. I am able to see thoughts of men and demigods alike. I can see your deepest fears and desires. You and your sister, Bianca di Angelo, children of Hades, placed in the Lotus Casino for seventy years to stop you from aging. Because the gods had already murdered your mother and were after you. She died by their hand for no reason. They tried to kill you and your sister because you had been born at the wrong time. They couldn’t have you around on the small chance you grew up to destroy the world. So they decided to destroy you instead. But Hades made a deal, put you somewhere you would never age until, many years later, a new demigod of the original three was born. By the time he was discovered, he was already at camp; there was nothing the gods could do. They decided to bring your sister and you back into play in the hopes of keeping the battle in their favour. But then little Bianca died in the Junkyard of the Gods, died for their selfishness, for their greed. They killed her and Percy was unable to keep her safe. He promised, but he lied. Why should you care for them Nico? All any of them have done to you is caused you harm, caused you grief. Even when you were too young to know who the gods were, they hated you. I can help you, take care of you. Nico, I can give you the one thing you want above all else.”_

As Kronos continued talking, Nico recognized the truth in the words; half-memories of running through a hotel with his sister as his parents sat there arguing. Suddenly a bright flash of light and a loud crash and he couldn’t see his mother anymore. His father had been crying, telling them it would be all right, that they would not be hurt. He brought them to a different hotel, told them to stay there until he came back for them. From then, it was all a blur, no clear memories, just emotions. Nico remembered feeling scared and alone, but was unable to figure out why before another memory surfaced. This time of a man dressed in a plain suit. He had entered the hotel Nico and Bianca had been at, told them it was time to leave, that their father had sent him to pick them up. That they were going to finally grow up and fulfill their destinies. The words hadn’t made sense to Nico then and they didn’t make sense now. But Nico _remembered_ them. He remembered feeling relief to finally be leaving that hotel, to have his sister safe at his side, to be able to act like proper kids and grow up with her. Not like at the hotel; at the hotel, it had been… different.

As Kronos finished, he knew the Titan’s words were true. He _was_ angry at Percy for betraying him and his sister. He was angry at the gods for the death of his mother and sister and for forcing them to go to the Lotus Casino, a place Nico would always remember in his nightmares, ruining their childhood.

At the Titan’s last words, Nico looked up. He knew it’s power must be great to know so much, but to be able to read his innermost thoughts? Impossible.

_“No. Not impossible young Nico. I can see how much you miss your sister. I know you would give almost anything to see her again, talk to her. I can show you how to do that. In exchange for one thing.”_

“What could I possibly give someone as powerful as you?”

_“I will help you raise your sister if you will pledge yourself to me. To serve me and only me until the end of time.”_

Nico sat there, stunned at the price. He wanted to talk to his sister again, to apologize, but could he really serve a Titan in exchange? And not just any Titan, the King of Titans! The very being that had almost destroyed the earth millennia ago in his rise to power. But then Nico remembered Kronos’ words, of how the gods had already taken everything from him. Why should he owe them anything? All they had given him was pain. Kronos could give him his sister. And that’s all that mattered in the end, right?

_“So, do we have a deal?”_


	2. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things

“So get this. Apparently a convict, Richard Harris, was killed in the holding cells at the police station twenty years ago. According to the coroner he died of a crushed skull,” Sam said as Dean walked out of the shower in their motel room. It was two days later and Sam and Dean had only gotten into New Hampshire the night before. So far one more person had died and it was only a matter of time before someone else did.

“Sounds like vengeful spirit material. So what made him go after these guys? And what caused him to attack them after twenty years? Have you found a connection?” Dean finished drying his hair and started pulling clothes out of his duffel, not bothering to cover his body in front of his brother. After almost 30 years of living in the same room together, there was no such thing as ‘privacy’.

“Yeah, apparently Harris was a drug trafficker. Had a big deal going down with the convicts his spirit murdered. He freaked and told the cops everything, which gave his partners five years in jail. They got pissed and killed him. Got an extra fifteen years each and only got released a few months ago.”

“Huh,” Dean sat down across from Sam at the table, picking up one of the news clippings scattered around them. “So what? These guys ended up back in the holding cells where they killed Harris, his ghost is there and went vengeful spirit when they were brought in?”

“That’s my guess. I’m just wondering where the cop fits in. He could have been in on it, in which case it’s going to be over. But if he’s not, that means he’s going after more than just the guys who killed him and more people could be in danger.”

“Have you not found any dirt on the officer? Nothing in the papers?”

“No. If anything happened with him, he did a good job keeping it quiet.” Sam leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “I think I’m done for the night. I’m gonna go grab a drink from outside, then hit the sack.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Night Sam.”

“Night Dean.”

As Dean went into the washroom to finish getting ready for bed, Sam grabbed a flask from his bag before slipping out the door. Once outside, Sam walked around the side of the motel, stopping in the shadow under the second floor fire escape. Opening his flask, Sam poured a few drops of the crimson liquid onto his palm before licking it up. As the demon blood raced through his veins, Sam felt his strength return in a heady rush of power. He felt strong and young and murderous. Inhaling deeply, he attempted to quell his need to destroy the nearest living being. It was one of the side-affects he despised. His need to simply destroy, not thinking about what he was doing and who it would affect. He knew he needed to mask this urge, couldn’t let Dean figure out what was going on. He knew if Dean found out, he would kill Ruby and then Sam would be lost.

Turning back towards his room, Sam stopped briefly at the vending machine to grab a Coke, hoping Dean would believe his pathetic lie.

When Sam entered the room, Dean was already in bed pretending to be asleep. He knew Sam hadn’t really gone outside with the purpose of getting a drink. He knew what Sam was doing. He knew what that demon bitch had done to him. He wanted to confront Sam, to find out the whole truth but he knew he could never do that. If Sam left him even as damaged as he is, Dean knew he would never survive. But could he really sit by and watch his brother, the one person he had spent his entire life protecting, destroy himself over a demon?

***

Two days after talking to Kronos, and Nico was finally ready to perform the spell that would raise his sister. It had taken him a day and a half to find his way out of the Labyrinth, fighting off monsters, wading through sewers, and creeping through abandoned shrines for the gods.

After Nico had managed to crawl out of the Labyrinth somewhere in New Hampshire, he had spent the rest of the time collecting the ingredients for the spell. And now, he was ready. Getting the ingredients had not been difficult; it was easy enough to convince sweet old ladies to give him some food and water. According to Kronos, they were needed for the dead to feast on, giving substance to their souls so they could survive in the mortal world.

All he needed to do now was wait for the proper time. It had to be a cloudless night, with the moon shining overhead. Luckily, the new moon had passed the night he had left camp, allowing him ample time to perfect and perform the spell.

As dusk settled over the town Nico made his way to the local cemetery to perform the ritual. Although Kronos had told him the spell could be performed anywhere with a large enough plot of dirt, he had said that it was easiest in a graveyard, where the dead are already lurking, ready to be called back to the living.

As he approached the graveyard, Nico started examining the area, trying to decide where he would have the most privacy should anyone wander past him. After circling the area, he saw a large stone cross, large enough to hide someone, surrounded by trees. It offered enough cover to hide him on all side from prying eyes. Walking over to the area, Nico crouched down and dug out a shallow pit, the first step in the ritual. Next, he retrieved the sandwich and juice box he had been given earlier, dumping both into the small hole. Kneeling back and looking up at the sky, Nico took a deep breath and began to chant.

 *** 

When Sam woke up the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that Dean wasn’t in the room. Bolting upright, Sam grabbed his knife from beneath his pillow before standing. Looking around, he noticed a note on their table in Dean’s handwriting letting Sam know he had gone out to grab breakfast. Reading the note Sam quickly relaxed, shaking his head at his foolish reaction. Putting down his knife, Sam turned towards the bathroom, hoping a warm shower would help calm him down.

When Dean walked into his and Sam’s room, Sam was just stepping out of the shower judging by the creaking of the pipes. Sighing, he started pulling his and Sam’s breakfasts out of the bag in his hands, cherishing these last few moments of silence before his brother walked into the room. He knew he looked like crap; he hadn’t been able to sleep last night from dreams filled with images of hellfire and screams of his victims in the pit. But those weren’t the worst ones, not by a long shot. Dean had also dreamt of his brother leaving him. Of Sam walking out the door, going with Ruby and never coming back. It was funny really. He had been in the pit for forty years. He had been tortured until he couldn’t remember his own name, couldn’t remember _Sam’s_ name and then had picked up the knife himself and done it to others, and it still wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to him. The worst thing would be losing his brother. Knowing that he wasn’t good enough for Sam made every other pain he had endured in his life seem like nothing. Dean laughed drily to himself, shaking his head. _If only Alistair had known how much I needed Sammy, he could have broken me so much sooner, gotten me back here before Sam turned to Ruby._

Just then Sam came out of the bathroom, followed by a huge cloud of steam. “Hey Dean, you were up early. You feeling alright?”

Turning towards his brother, Dean pasted a smile on his face. “I feel fine Sam, you don’t need to keep bugging me about it.” But Sam just pressed the issue, moving closer to Dean, saying, “Was it nightmares again? You know you can always talk to me, right?”

Dean had managed to hold onto his temper before but that comment made him snap. “Talk to you? How the hell can I talk to you?! You have no idea what I went through down there Sam; you can’t imagine what they did to me! What I did – “ with a choked off sob Dean stopped talking, collapsing on the chair behind him.

“I would know if you just _talked_ to me Dean! I’m trying here! I really am, but I can’t do anything if you don’t try too!” At those words, Dean felt rage like he never had before. He couldn’t think straight, all he wanted to do was jump on Sam and pound the _shit_ out of him. Standing up so quickly he toppled his chair, Dean glared at his brother shouting, “You’re trying?! _You’re trying?!_ Last I checked, trying didn’t involve sneaking around behind my back with a fucking _demon!_ If this is you trying, you’re doing a real shit job! I’d say worse than me! I may not tell you, but at least I don’t _lie_ to you! Jesus Sam, you ask me to talk to you, you ask me to trust you, but you can’t grant me the same courtesy. Trust is a two-way street, it can’t just be me.”

As Sam opened his mouth to say something else, Dean just shook his head. “Don’t bother defending yourself. I’m gonna be at the library for the next few hours. I’ll find you when I’m done.” And with that, he walked out the door.

As Dean left, Sam stared at the door, wondering when their lives had become this.   This constant sneaking around each other and fighting. Dean was right. Sam was lying to him about the demon blood and his abilities but he was scared if he knew, Dean would leave. And Sam couldn’t handle that. He would rather have taken Dean’s place in Hell than have Dean reject him.

With a sigh Sam sat down at the table, pulling the now-cold food towards him. He had no appetite but he knew if he didn’t eat something, he wouldn’t make it through the rest of the day. There was no point going after Dean, Sam would just have to wait for him to calm down and come back. _If_ he came back. Sam pushed his food away at the thought, suddenly feeling nauseous and instead pulled his laptop over to do some more research. Dean _would_ come back, Sam told himself. He just had to do it in his own time.

 ***

 Nico sat back, panting from the exertion of the spell. Although he had only been chanting for a few minutes, he could feel a vast diminish in his strength and he didn’t like it, didn’t like feeling this weak.

“ _Yes Nico, your energy is needed by them. The dead cannot rise without it.”_

_“_ You could have warned me before I did the spell!”

_“I had to deceive you. I did not believe you would have gone through with the ritual if you knew what would happen. Silence now; the dead are coming. You must be ready.”_

Nico stiffened, feeling a shiver run up his spine. He knew there was someone else there with him but couldn’t see anything.

After a minute or two the air in front of the hole shimmered and a figure appeared. It wasn’t solid, more shadow than flesh but Nico could clearly make out the shape of a man.

Nico stumbled back as the spirit knelt at the edge hole, drinking the mud left from the juice. Staring in shock, Nico felt his hair standing on end and goose bumps erupting on his skin. A small voice started up in the back of his mind, frantically chanting, _not right, not natural, stop it, stop it NOW,_ “STOP!!!” Nico screamed into the night, putting all the energy he had left into that single word.

The kneeling figure, now mostly solid, stopped drinking and slowly began to stand. Straightening, the spirit raised its head to Nico who stared up at the shadowy face in fear, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. The face staring back at him was not that of his sister’s, but that of a man he did not recognize. The spirit seemed to sense Nico’s confusion, smiling at him before saying, “I am not the one you expected to see.” Its voice was raspy, reminding Nico of the sound of dry leaves slithering over concrete and causing him to shiver again. “Who are you? Where’s my sister?” Nico asked finally finding his voice.

“I am Minos, past King of Crete and judge for the Court of the Underworld.”

“Where is my sister? She’s the one I summoned, not you!”

Minos laughed, still grinning at him. “You have a lot to learn if you believe you can control the dead so easily, Nico di Angelo. Yes, I know you. It is my duty to judge the souls of both the living and the dead. I am able to see all your secrets, all your crimes. As for your sister, I was one of the judges on duty when she died. She now resides in the Fields of Elysium.”

“Why isn’t she here? I want to see her! I want to speak to her! Why is she ignoring me?” Nico started crying, feeling anger at Bianca for leaving him here, for not coming to him when he needed her so badly.

“She will come but not yet. Not until you are prepared to face her. I can help you Nico. If you allow me to stay with you I will help you learn to control this spell. I can help you learn to channel your energy properly so it does not weaken you and help you learn to summon your sister. It will take time, but when you are ready she will hear you. And she will come.”

Nico hesitated, not knowing if he should accept or not. He did want to see Bianca again but he didn’t want to attach himself to Minos in that way, especially when Minos had so much power. And besides, he had Kronos to help him learn.

Looking Minos in the eye, Nico drew himself up to his full height, saying, “no, I don’t think I want your help. I don’t know you and don’t trust you. Now leave me and don’t come back.”

“You think Kronos can help you? You think he _wants_ to help you? You may not have pledged yourself to him yet but I can still see the stain on your soul from him. He has poisoned your mind, twisted and manipulated you to meet his own needs. You are nothing to him. Just a pawn in his great plans,” Minos said, sneering down at Nico. “No one cares about you anymore. Your own sister couldn’t be bothered to come talk to you.”

“I said LEAVE ME ALONE!” Nico screamed, feeling rage rip through him. He hadn’t felt this angry since the night he had run away from camp. Instead of ignoring it like he had then, he used it to fuel his words, forcing the command on Minos with all his anger behind it. He could hear a distant screaming in his ears and felt his knees slam into the ground. And as suddenly as it had started, the screaming stopped.

The graveyard was eerily quiet now and as Nico opened his eyes, he realized that he was once again alone, Minos nowhere to be seen. It was as if the ground had swallowed him up.

“ _That is exactly what happened Nico. You banished him back to the Underworld. You are more powerful than he expected. I must say I am impressed also. You will make a valuable soldier in the coming war.”_

“No I – I don’t want to do this… It’s not right…” Nico could feel tears sliding down his face, appalled at what had happened, what he had done. He was exhausted from banishing Minos and felt sick from what Minos had said. His thoughts were an incoherent mess and he could feel himself sliding toward unconsciousness.

“ _Sleep Nico. You will need your strength to try again tomorrow night. Now sleep.”_

That was the last thing Nico remembered before everything went dark.


	3. Brother's Betrayal

Sam jumped when his phone went off, blinking out of his daydream. Picking up the phone and checking the caller ID, Sam hit the talk button saying, “Dean. I was beginning –“

“I found a lead. I’m leaving the police station now. I spoke to some of the cops and checked out the holding cells. There’s no blood in any of them, nothing to tie a spirit down there. But according to the police chief, Harris was buried not cremated. He’s in the local graveyard. I’m gonna head over there, see if I can find his grave for us to come back to tonight.”

“Well come get me, I’ll come with you.”

 “No, I’m going by myself. I just… I need a bit more time okay? I’ll meet you at the diner across from the motel at seven.” There was a click and the line went dead.

Sam sighed, putting down his phone. He got that Dean needed space, that he didn’t want to talk about Hell but when he pushed Sam away like this, it only made Sam less likely to talk to him. Whenever Sam tried to bring up anything that had happened in the four months Dean was gone, he was shut down almost immediately. Hell, this morning was the most they had ever spoken about that time, and that had ended so well.

Stretching, Sam stood and walked to his duffel and grabbed his flask. He had felt his high starting to wear off over the past few hours and knew it wouldn’t be long before he felt the withdrawal effects.

Opening the flask, Sam made to pour a few drops onto his hand but nothing came out. Tilting it fully upside down, he shook the flask, trying to get any drops left inside but the flask was fully empty. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Sam muttered grabbing his phone again and hitting Ruby’s number.

She picked up after three rings but before she could say a word, Sam was already speaking. “Ruby, it’s Sam. I’m out of blood, I need you to come give me some. I can feel it affecting me already.” He could feel himself becoming hysterical but he had experienced partial withdrawal before and it was _not_ a good memory.

“Sam this isn’t a great time for me, can I call you back later?”

“No! I’m completely out and I need your help! Please Ruby.”

There was silence on the other end and then – “fine Sam. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Where are you?”

Telling her the address, Sam hung up his phone and began pacing. He knew it wouldn’t do any good but he couldn’t sit still. He felt nauseous and was beginning to get a migraine; next would be hallucinations and that was something he didn’t want to experience again.

After about five minutes Sam felt a sudden change in the room, almost like someone had opened a window. Turning around, he saw Ruby standing there watching him.

“Thank God,” Sam breathed, feeling relief flooding through him.

“I don’t think God has anything to do with this,” Ruby said, smirking. “Where’s Dean?” She asked, looking around. “You two haven’t been fighting, have you?”

“No, he just went out to hunt down a lead. But Ruby, please, I – I need it. Please.”

“All in good time Sam. How long until Dean comes back?”

“He won’t be back until seven.” Sam could feel his migraine getting worse and knew he couldn’t hold on much longer.

“Seven. So that gives us three hours to have some fun.” Ruby grinned at him. “But first, I think I have something you want.”

Holding out her hand, Sam handed her the flask and his knife. Taking them, Ruby made a thin slice on her wrist, allowing the blood to trickle into the flask.

Sam watched hungrily as Ruby’s blood welled up from the cut, longing to taste it. He could smell it in the air, the sharp zing of power and the metallic scent of iron. The scent made him feel dizzy and he could feel his migraine receding from just the smell.

Filling the flask, Ruby recapped it before holding her wrist up to Sam’s mouth, allowing him to drink. Bending down, Sam grabbed her wrist and started sucking hungrily at the wound.

Sam could feel it affecting him immediately. Just seconds ago he had felt so weak, barely able to keep himself on his feet and now he felt his strength return. He could feel the power running through him and it felt so _good_.

Leaning back, Sam smiled at Ruby and wiped the excess blood off his face. Stepping forward, Ruby reached up and grabbed Sam by the hair, pulling him down to kiss her. Sam felt his hands moving down to her waist, grabbing her tight and lifting her. Still kissing him, Ruby wrapped her legs around Sam as he started slowly walking them back towards the bed. Reaching it, Sam sat down with Ruby now on his lap.

Breaking the kiss, Sam looked at Ruby with a smile. “I could kill you, you know. With just a thought. Send you back to Hell or just smite you. You gave me that power.”

“But you won’t kill me,” Ruby responded, smiling back. “No. I won’t,” Sam said, leaning in to kiss her.

 ***

 “Hey kid, wake up!”

Nico groaned, rolling onto his side. His head felt thick with sleep and his stomach heaved.

“Come on, wake up!”

Nico opened his eyes, squinting up at the dark figure squatting beside him. Startled, Nico bolted upright, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Slow down kid! You’ll faint if you move too fast.” The stranger was staring at Nico with concern, holding onto his arm to steady him.

“I – I don’t feel so –“ that was all Nico got out before he leaned over and started retching.

“Hey, watch it!” The man jumped back out of the way, releasing Nico’s arm in the process. Without the support, Nico could no longer keep himself upright and fell, hitting his head against the ground.

“Shit, you okay? Sorry about that.”

Nico looked up at the man, still feeling dizzy. He had no idea who this man was or what time it was. The last thing he remembered was King Minos disappearing before he blacked out.

“What’s your name, kid? What happened?”

“I’m Nico. I was… visiting the grave and suddenly I felt dizzy. I must have fainted,” Nico lied, hoping the man wouldn’t catch on.

The man stared at Nico, as if trying to decide if he was telling the truth. Clearing his throat, Nico asked, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“My name’s Dean. I saw you through the trees when I was driving by. You were unconscious so I stopped to help you.”

Nico knew at once that the man was lying. Though he said it easily enough, Nico knew that there was no way Dean could have seen him from the road. When he had been looking the other day, he hadn’t been able to see this spot from the sidewalk in full light, let alone at sunset going 50 miles per hour. He had obviously been in the graveyard and had stumbled across Nico. _What if he knew the person whose grave this is? He’ll know I’m lying,_ Nico thought to himself. _But why would he bother lying about that? He must be hiding something._

Nico slowly stood, brushing off dead leaves and pine needles as he rose. “Well, thanks for your help, but I have to get going. Don’t want to worry my parents,” Nico said, turning and walking away.

 ***

 Dean watched Nico disappear through the trees and waited a few more minutes before kneeling down at the gravestone. He was pretty sure the kid had been lying about visiting the grave and there was an easy way to find out. Leaning in, Dean finally found what he was looking for; the name and date on the stone.

 

~ _In Memory of Anne Kendrick_

_Forever in our Thoughts and Prayers_

_1901 – 1986_ ~

Standing up again, Dean shook his head. So the kid _had_ been lying to him. There was no way Nico could have know this woman, he couldn’t be more than fifteen years old. _So what was he up to that he didn’t want to tell the truth?_ Dean sighed, stretching his arms out above his head and popping his back. He had more important things to worry about, like what he was going to do about Sam and the demon blood, and killing this ghost.

Heading back to where he’d parked the Impala, Dean took one step and stumbled, almost falling flat on his face. Looking down to see what had made him trip, he noticed a shallow hole in the ground that he hadn’t seen earlier. It was only a few inches wide and deep but it was definitely man-made. _Nico must’ve been lying on it, or else I wouldn’t have missed it,_ Dean thought, kneeling down to examine the hole.

“So this was what you were up to that you didn’t want to mention,” Dean muttered. Reaching into the hole, Dean dug around a bit, looking for anything that would be worth hiding. That’s when he found the sandwich.

“What the hell?” Holding it up, Dean could see that it was half eaten and it smelled faintly like grapes.

Looking back up at the huge gravestone, Dean realized that it was more than big enough to hide someone as small as Nico. _He came back here so no one would see him. He must have looked for as hidden a spot as he could find. But why?_ Dean knew the answer was right in front of him, but he couldn’t grasp it yet.

Glancing back at the ground around the hole, he noticed something else. There were scorch marks on one side of the hole, opposite where Nico had been sitting. Looking up at the grave then back at the sandwich, and finally back to the hole and the scorch marks, everything finally clicked into place.

“Oh no. No, no, no, this is not good.” Jumping up, Dean ran back to his car, determined to hunt down this kid and demand why on earth he was trying to raise the dead.

 ***

Sam collapsed on the bed beside Ruby, panting. Checking his watch, he saw he had half an hour until he had to meet Dean.

Rolling on top of Sam, Ruby kissed him lightly on the lips. “That was great,” she said between kisses. “But I have to go. I have some business to finish and you need to get cleaned up before you see Dean.”

“I have some more time. You don’t have to leave yet,” Sam replied, kissing along her jaw and neck.

“ _You_ might have time but I don’t. I’ve got to go. You can call me if you need me.” Ruby rolled off Sam and stood, collecting her things.

Dressed, she turned back to Sam, giving him a quick kiss before disappearing out the door.

Watching Ruby leave, Sam lay back down on the bed. He still had to shower and clean up the room but he felt so lazy, all he wanted to do was sleep.

Deciding he would rest for a few minutes, he rolled onto his side, pulling the blanket up over himself.

*** 

Sam woke up to the door crashing open. Looking up, he saw Dean entering the room looking very annoyed.

“Hey Dean, I was gonna come meet up with you, I was just resting.”

“Sam, it’s quarter after seven, you were supposed to meet me fifteen minutes ago.”

“I’m sorry man, I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“Yeah, I figured that out thanks.”

“Okay, let me –“

“Were you having sex in here?”

“Dean what are you talking about? I was asleep, remember?”

Dean looked around the room before letting his eyes land back on Sam. Looking him over, he knew that’s what Sam had been doing. The room reeked of it and he had the all-telling sex hair. “Who was she? Must’ve been good if you forgot to meet me.” Dean knew he wasn’t being fair, he had done the exact same thing to Sam quite a few times throughout the years, but he was still annoyed about earlier.

“Just drop it okay Dean? I’m sorry about not meeting you. Let’s just go get some food and look over the case before we head out.”

Dean knew he should drop it and he was going to when he saw the flask lying on the night table beside the bed. Flicking his eyes to the bed where Sam was now sitting and he noticed the blood stains on the sheets for the first time and felt his blood run cold.

“It was her wasn’t it? The demon bitch.” Dean watched Sam freeze as he pulled on clothes and knew he was right. “Dammit Sam! She’s a demon! She’s a monster! And she’s turning you into one too!”

“She’s teaching me how to kill Lilith! She’s helping me learn to stop the fucking apocalypse! That’s what we want Dean! We need help wherever we can get it!”

“You’re drinking demon blood Sam! Tell me how that can be right! You’ve become worse than a lot of the things we’ve hunted but you’re telling me it’s okay and to trust you. To trust her! A fucking _demon!_ ”

“She’s been there for me more than you have Dean. She’s the only reason I made it through those four months. You left me here! I had to _bury_ you! You have no idea what that’s like. I completely lost it that night. She was the only thing that kept me going, telling me how she could help me learn to use my power to beat Lilith. She gave me a reason to keep going. Think about that before you get pissed at her.”

Dean glared at Sam, feeling his blood boil. He _had_ left Sam but he had done it because he couldn’t live without Sam. He knew it had been hard for Sam but he had at least survived. Better than what Dean would’ve done if their roles were switched.

Sam stood, grabbing his jacket. “I’m heading over to the diner to grab some dinner. You’re more than welcome to join me, otherwise I’ll be back in forty-five,” Sam said before walking out the door.

 ***

Nico walked out of the supermarket trying not to look overly suspicious. He had used up the sandwich and juice box the night before and needed more in order to raise the dead again.

Clearing the doors of the store, Nico took off running down the street, holding onto the sandwich and Gatorade that he had stuck in his pockets. He had made it out of the store, but someone might still come after him. Rounding the corner, he slowed back to a walk. He still had some time until it got dark and he had barely eaten all day. Nico knew he wouldn’t be able to perform the ritual in his current state; he needed to eat something. Sighing, Nico turned around to go back to the supermarket. Hopefully he wouldn’t get caught stealing a second time.

 ***

 Sam sat in the diner with a newspaper in his hands but he wasn’t really reading it. He knew he had crossed a line with what he had said to Dean but it was true _._ Dean had left him alone and he had suffered hard. He had been completely lost, drinking and getting into bar fights every night to try to forget. And then Ruby had found him again and convinced him to go and work with her. He had thrown himself into it, using the training as an outlet for his anger.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Sam looked up to see Dean walking towards him.

Sliding into the booth, Dean glanced at Sam before signaling to the waitress to take his order. After she was done, Dean turned back to Sam, saying, “I’m not happy with what you did or plan to do and I’m not forgiving you. But we’re on a case and we need to deal with that right now. Also, I had a weird encounter today and I need your help making sense of it.”

Sam smiled to himself, taking a sip of his water. He knew he wouldn’t be let off the hook that easily but at least him and Dean were still able to work together, even if it was strained.

Dean glanced down at his hands before looking back up at Sam. “So I ran into this kid when I went to check out the graveyard today…”

***

“So you think this kid… Nico… was raising the dead?” Sam scooped up the last bite of his salad before leaning back in his seat, stretching out his legs under the table.

“Yeah, that’s what it looked like. I mean, he must’ve been doing something bad if he didn’t want to tell me the truth,” Dean replied, kicking Sam’s feet as they made their way onto his side of the table.

“Maybe… Or maybe he’s a time traveller. Maybe he knew her!” Sam laughed at the bitch face Dean shot him. Really, people called Sam the bitchy one. “I dunno dude. I just find it weird that we would run into a case while we’re in the middle of another one. It just seems weird.”

“Sam, our whole lives are one big pile of weird. But all the elements were there to raise the dead. Plus the lying and finding him passed out in such a secluded spot? I know those rituals are supposed to be really draining, can knock people unconscious with how much energy they take. I just don’t know why he would be doing it.”

“He must have lost someone close to him and is trying to get them back. Did you follow him or notice anything else?”

“Yeah, I tried to follow him but by the time I got to the car, he was gone. I spent two hours driving through town and he was nowhere to be seen.”

“Okay, well he needs a cloudless night to perform the ritual right? Tonight looks like it’s gonna be cloudless againso there’s a good chance he’ll head back to the graveyard to try the spell again. We can look around after we burn Harris.”

“Okay, we should probably head over soon. Don’t want to miss Nico,” Dean said, standing and tossing some bills on the table.

Sam rose too, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair and together they left the restaurant. 


	4. Into the Labyrinth

Nico ran out of the store as fast as he could, the manager hot on his heels. He had been caught stealing the loaf of bread and had had to make a break for it.

Weaving through traffic, Nico ran down the street trying to lose his pursuers. The entrance to the Labyrinth was only a few minutes away, he could slip in there but he had to make it that far.

Turning the corner onto the street with the entrance on it, Nico stopped in front of the glowing Delta sign. He was about to slip into the alley where the Labyrinth opening was hidden when he realized he was no longer being followed. Poking his head back around the corner, he saw the manager walking back towards the store, having given up the chase.

_Thank the gods,_ Nico thought, gasping for breath.

_“No Nico, thank me. I am the one who distracted him while you ran. It is hard for me to communicate with people outside their dreams, especially mortals but I did it so you would not be caught. You were foolish, stealing from the store twice. Any more mistakes will not be tolerated.”_

“Well, it’s not my fault. If I don’t eat something I won’t make it through the ritual tonight! If you have any – wait.” Nico stopped, realizing what Kronos had said. “What do you mean it’s difficult to communicate outside of people’s dreams? Why are you always talking to me then?”

_“When I speak with you outside your dreams, it requires much more energy than if I was speaking to you in your dreams. Especially when the person I am speaking with is fully mortal. It’s the same with any sort of communication. Sending images or energy to you could potentially put me back to sleep for years, which is why I was unable to help you last night. I only risk speaking with you when awake because what I must say is too important to wait. I need to guide you and that must be done when you are conscious._

_“However, you are right about the ritual. There is a chance that releasing so much energy could cause unconsciousness or even death if done repeatedly. Perhaps it would be wise to rethink Minos’ offer should he appear again tonight. And I have a feeling he will.”_

“I don’t trust him. He creeps me out.” Nico shivered at the thought of having to accept help from Minos.

_“I never said to trust him. Accept his help, figure out what he wants in return, and keep an eye on him. Once we have what we need, we can be rid of him but until then you will have to humour him. But be cautious. Spirits can be devious, especially the spirit of Minos. Do not let your guard down around him for even a moment; he will use any weakness he sees to his advantage.”_

“Alright, I’ll accept his help. But I still don’t like it,” Nico said and started walking towards the park where he’d be able to eat his small meal while waiting for night to fall.

 ***

Dean cut the Impala’s engine as Sam got out of the car, moving to the trunk to grab their bag. Opening his door, Dean got out of his car, saying, “don’t worry Baby, I’ll be back soon.” Joining Sam at the trunk and passing Sam the can of gasoline stashed there, he heard Sam laughing.

“What are you laughing at, bitch?”

“You are way too obsessed with that car. I swear you would marry it if it were legal. Jerk.”

“You’re just jealous that you’re not the number one girl in my life, Samantha.”

“Oh yeah, I’m _sure_ that’s what it is. I just can’t contain my jealousy.” Sam laughed even louder, shoving Dean playfully before walking down the street towards the graveyard.

Dean watched Sam turn and walk away, realizing that this was the first time he had seen Sam laugh like that since he had come back from hell. Sure, he had chuckled at Dean’s jokes and smiled at the waitresses flirting with him, but he hadn’t actually laughed like that in all the time Dean had been back. _Maybe I’m not the only one who came back from that changed. Maybe I should try to go easier on Sam; he went through a lot in those months._ “Why can’t we go back to how things were?”Dean whispered, not realizing he had spoken aloud.

Turning, Sam saw that Dean was still standing beside the open trunk of the Impala. “Hey Dean, you coming?” Sam called back, still walking towards the graveyard two blocks away.

“Yeah, let me just grab my lighter!” Dean shook his head to clear his thoughts, closing and locking the trunk before running to catch up with Sam.

***

Entering the graveyard, Sam and Dean pulled out their flashlights and started walking. It was only just after sunset, but it was already pitch dark in the graveyard.

“So, which way to Harris’ grave?” Sam asked, adjusting his grip on their bag.

“It’s in the next section, just to the right a bit. Only a few minutes there, then we can burn him and look for Nico.”

“Okay, sounds good,” said Sam, following Dean past the rows of headstones. “Do you think he’ll come back here? There’s a park on the other side of town he could go to. He just needs an open area, right?”

“Yeah, he’ll come back. You can perform it at any open, grassy area but a graveyard is easiest. It’s closer to the spirits, easier for them to break through to our world. And that area was pretty well covered. One of us watches there, the other watches the entrance, we should spot him.”

“How on earth do you know so much about raising the dead?” Sam asked. As far as he knew, Dean had never studied any rituals of that nature.

Dean stopped at Sam’s question, his shoulders hunching forward and his head dropping. “They uh – they told me. When I was down – down there. They didn’t just torture me physically it was mentally as well. Told me how a soul could escape hell if someone upstairs was helping. They told me about rituals to raise the dead, about how someone can perform it and help souls leave hell but that it would never happen for me, because I – I didn’t have anyone up there looking for me.”

Dean’s shoulders were shaking now and Sam knew he was crying. He was at a loss of what to say. Dean had barely told him anything about hell and nowthat he was,Sam wasn’t prepared to help him. “I’m sorry Dean. You don’t have to talk –“

“Yeah I do Sam. Because it’s eating me up inside. I’ve been keeping it from you and it feels like an infection, spreading through my entire body until it consumes me. When I talk to you it helps me remember where I am and that you _were_ looking for me. It makes me feel human again, talking to you.”

“You know I never stopped right? I never stopped looking for you, trying to make deals with any demons I could find.”

“I know you did Sammy. Trust me, I know. But down there, with _them_ whispering in my ear for years, I started to forget. I started to believe them. _That’s_ what broke me, Sammy. The day when I finally believed you had given up on me was the day that I said yes to Alistair.”

Dean stopped talking, just standing there with his head lowered, tears sliding silently down his face. Sam stood behind him, unsure of what to say or do. They needed to find the grave and then Nico but he wasn’t sure Dean was ready for either challenge.

Clearing his throat, Dean wiped a hand over his face and started walking again. “We should keep going. We want to be set up before Nico gets here.”

Sam hurried to catch up, knowing that arguing with his brother would be useless. Dean might be more prone to ‘chick flick’ moments as he called them, but he was still a stubborn ass when he wanted to be.

 ***

Finishing off the loaf, Nico lay back on the grass and closed his eyes. Since sunset, the park had been mostly empty and Nico was able to find a quiet patch of grass to sit and eat. He didn’t want to go back to the graveyard yet, nervous that he would get caught by someone, possibly that man who had found him earlier. What was his name? Dean? Yeah that was it. Nico would wait until later after midnight to sneak back across town to the graveyard to perform the ritual.

Nico opened his eyes again and started tracing the constellations that his sister had taught him, recalling the stories behind them all. Remembering them made his heart ache for his sister and he felt tears pricking at his eyes. Nico took a deep breath to calm himself, remembering that he didn’t have much longer until he saw Bianca again. Once Minos taught him how to channel his energy and call his sister, he would finally be able to summon her.

 ***

 “Dean, do you want me to take a turn?” Sam asked, watching his brother dig out the grave. He had been at it for just over an hour without stopping, refusing all of Sam’s previous offers to help.

“Nah, I’m good Sammy. Just keep an eye out in case Harris’ ghost appears.” Dean drove his shovel into the dirt, slowing down his efforts. He enjoyed the work, enjoyed how it allowed his mind to wander, not focusing on any subject and helping keep his nightmares away. He didn’t want it to end yet.

Sam shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He wanted to sit down but he knew he couldn’t risk that sort of delay if Harris appeared; even a few seconds could be the difference between life and death. Keeping his flashlight trained on the grave his eyes swept the graveyard for any sign of Nico or Harris’ ghost. Another few minutes went by when suddenly a loud thud broke the silence.

“I think we just found Harris. Get down here and help me clear off the coffin.”

Sam grabbed his shovel and jumped into the hole beside Dean. They quickly scraped off the remaining dirt to reveal a plain wooden coffin underneath.

“I love cheap coffins, always so easy to get through.” Dean grinned at Sam, tossing his shovel out of the hole and quickly following. Grabbing the gasoline and salt, he turned around to see Sam had already gotten the lid off and was standing beside the grave holding his lighter.

Dousing the body in the gasoline and salt, Dean turned away from the grave and started gathering their things. There was a sudden _whoosh_ , followed by a wall of heat and when he turned around, the grave was empty.

“Well that’s one down and one more to go. Now all we have to do is find and stop a necromancer without meeting any of his friends. Piece of cake.”

Sam chuckled, and started walking back towards the car with Dean. “Okay, since you’re so smart, why don’t you tell me the plan,” he said, still laughing.

“Okay, we’ll split up. I’ll watch the spot where I found him earlier and you watch the entrance, one of us should see him.”

“Sounds good. What does he look like again? I don’t want to grab the wrong person.”

“You really think we’re gonna see that many people in the graveyard this late? He’s pretty recognizable anyway. Dark, longish hair, olive skin, probably around 5’3” and he’s young, can’t be more than eleven or twelve. “

“I just can’t get over a kid that young performing necromancy,” Sam said, shaking his head.

“We were taught all sorts of stuff when we were young. I learned my first exorcism when I was seven, remember?” Dean kept walking for a few seconds before noticing that Sam was no longer beside him. Turning, he saw Sam standing behind him, a look of realization dawning on his face.

“Hey Sam, what is it?” Dean asked, walking back to his brother. When Sam didn’t answer him, Dean waved a hand in front of his face, saying, “earth to Sam, you wanna share with the class?”

“Somebody taught him…” Sam murmured, finally looking at Dean.

“Well yeah, someone probably did teach him how to perform the ritual. Most people don’t wake up one morning and all of a sudden they know it.”

“No, but someone could be teaching him! Like, not taught him or mentioned it and he taught himself, I mean actually there with him, showing him the ritual. There could be some sort of spirit latched onto him and it’s forcing him to resurrect it! Nico could be innocent!”

“Great, so now we might have a violent spirit to deal with, who we have to stop _without_ harming a possibly innocent kid. This just gets better and better.”

“Mhm. Well, we should head back over. Don’t wanna miss Nico, he may not show up again.”

“Yeah, let me just put this stuff away.” Opening the Impala’s trunk, Dean tossed their bag in, grabbed a few extra salt rounds and his hunting knife, closed the trunk and started back towards the graveyard with Sam.

Reaching the entrance to the graveyard again, the brothers separated, Sam going left behind a clump of trees and Dean walking further into the graveyard, towards where he had found Nico. Now all they had to do was wait.

 ***

Nico woke with a start, soaked in sweat. Lying where he was, he felt his heartbeat slowly return to normal, trying to figure out what had startled him. He couldn’t hear or see anyone around him, so he didn’t think it was that. Was it a dream? Yes, that had been it. Nico tried to remember what he had dreamt that had scared him so much but the images kept slipping through his fingers. _It felt like a warning… Like someone was trying to stop me from doing something…_ Nico shook his head, trying to make the feeling go away; he might not remember the dream butthe sense of danger wasn’t so quick to leave him.

Standing up, Nico looked around trying to figure out where he was. _Oh right I’m in the park._ Nico stretched, trying to get rid of the last bit of sleep still clouding his mind. Checking his watch and seeing that it was already half past midnight, he headed back towards the graveyard.

Half an hour later, Nico reached his destination. Turning onto the block with the graveyard, he started walking towards the entrance and stopped. _What if that guy from earlier is still here, watching the entrance? I’d better sneak in a different way_. Turning around, Nico walked around the corner where he could easily slip between the fence bars unnoticed.

After a few more minutes of walking, Nico finally reached the grave where he had performed the ritual the night before. Walking around the grave, Nico reached the shallow pit he had dug out yesterday, knelt down, and froze. He could hear rustling coming from somewhere close by and looking around he saw something that made his heart stop.   
Standing behind him was the man who had woken him up earlier that day. _Shit. Shit, shit, shit._ Nico couldn’t think what to do, couldn’t get his body to move.

“Listen Nico, I just wanna talk to you. My brother and I, we can help you.” Dean took a slow step forward, trying not to startle Nico but wanting to be able to catch him if he bolted.

_“Run Nico! Go to the Labyrinth!”_

Finally getting his limbs to work, Nico jumped up and sprinted away from Dean trying to reach the fence. He knew the spaces between the bars were too small for Dean to pass through and it was hopefully too high for him to jump over.

“Fuck!” Dean shouted, taking off after Nico. The kid had a head start on him, but he had longer legs and would hopefully overtake Nico before he escaped.

Nico could feel Dean gaining on him, hear his footsteps getting louder and knew he didn’t have much longer until he was caught. But he was so close, only a few paces away now. Putting in a last burst of speed, Nico leapt, narrowly avoiding the bars on either side of the gap and fell to the ground on the other side of the fence.

Dean watched as Nico jumped through the fence, falling before quickly getting up again and running down the street. Dean tried to follow but the gap was too narrow for him and the gate too high. Besides, he had to go and find Sam. Watching Nico so they could try and find him, Dean realized that he had just turned onto the street with the entrance where Sam was hidden and would soon run straight past Sam.

Cursing, Dean turned around and ran back to where his brother was watching, hoping they would be able to catch Nico this time.

 ***

Sam stood in the clump of trees just behind the entrance, watching for any sign of Nico. So far there had only been one or two couples, out after a night of partying and headed back home to sleep away their hangovers.

Sighing, he looked at his watch again and caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking up, Sam saw a small kid run past the entrance. He felt his eyes widen as he recognized Dean’s description of Nico di Angelo. _But why the hell is he running_ away _from the graveyard? And where on earth is Dean?_ Just then, Sam heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Dean standing behind him panting.

“Nico saw me and ran. I dunno why, but I don’t think he wants our help. This could be more difficult than we thought.”

“Okay, well I just saw him run by too, so let’s go.” Sam responded before running out onto the sidewalk to pursue Nico, Dean at his heels.

 ***

Nico had always been a fast runner. He had been one of the top runners on his school track team before him and Bianca had been taken away to camp. But he knew he was no match for Dean or his brother. Both of them were huge and could probably take one stride to every two of Nico’s. But he had a good head start; by the time they caught up with him, Nico would hopefully already be safely in the Labyrinth.

_“Keep running. I will hold them off as long as I can.”_

Glancing behind him, Nico could see Dean and his brother under the street lamps about 50 yards behind him and gaining. Facing forward, he pushed himself even faster, full on sprinting towards the Labyrinth entrance.

 ***

 Sam and Dean ran after Nico, barely keeping him in sight but slowly gaining on him.

They had only been running for a minute or two when suddenly Dean stumbled, falling over an invisible crack. Stopping, Sam grabbed his arm to drag him back up, saying, “Come on Dean, we need to catch him!”

Dean shook his head, cowering away from Sam’s grasp. “No, no, please, no, no, no…” Dean’s voice sounded terrified as he started fighting to get away from Sam.

Releasing Dean Sam stumbled back, trying to figure out what was going on. Dean hadn’t looked this bad since… since the last time he had had a flashback 

Kneeling down beside his brother, Sam cupped Dean’s cheek, trying to get his brother to snap out of it.

“Dean, hey it’s Sam, come on Dean, please. It’s me, your brother. I’m not gonna leave you Dean, I promise. I’m never gonna leave you, but need you to come back to me. Dean, you gotta come back. Please Dean.” Sam was desperate now and could feel tears start to prick at his eyes. He needed to stay with his brother and make sure he was okay especially if he was having another flashback, but he also had to find Nico. This could be their last chance to grab him.

Taking a deep breath, Sam shook his head. Dean was more important. Dean was _always_ more important.

“Sam…? Sammy!” Dean shouted, searching for Sam and finally seeing him.

“I’m right here Dean. I got you.”

“But… Nico. Did we catch him?” Dean asked, looking around confusedly.

“No Dean. You collapsed and I couldn’t – I couldn’t leave you. He’s probably gone by now.”

“No we can still catch him… If he’s headed out of town, we can take the car and follow him. There’s only one road leading in and out and he can’t have gotten far.” Dean said, making to stand.

Sam leaned back, staring at his brother. He knew they needed to finish the job but there was no way that Dean was in any shape to go out on a man hunt! Especially when they had no idea where Nico was!

Before he could argue though, Dean was standing and headed back towards the Impala. Scrambling to his feet, Sam rushed after him ready to explain to Dean all the reasons why this was such a stupid, terrible idea.

As if he knew what Sam was going to say, Dean held up a hand and said “Don’t Sam. We’re on a job and we’re going to finish it. I can take care of myself.”

Sam stayed quiet as they approached the Impala, knowing he wouldn’t be able to argue with Dean. Approaching the car, Sam looked at his brother, saying, “Can I at least drive then?”

Sighing, Dean tossed Sam the keys and got in the passenger seat. Turning on the engine, Sam threw the car into drive, pulling a U-turn and heading off into the night in pursuit of Nico.

 ***

 Nico sank to the ground inside the Labyrinth trying to catch his breath. He couldn’t believe he had been so stupid. He had hoped if he waited long enough, Dean might have given up and left but he hadn’t. And Nico had almost been caught for it.

_“You are a fool Nico di Angelo. Without me, you would have been caught by Dean and his brother and I would have had to punish you. But as it is, you are still able to correct your mistake. When we reach the next town, you shall perform the ritual again. And once you have raised your sister, you shall serve me completely.”_

“What did you do to them?” Nico asked, feeling nauseous.

_“Nothing. Dean already had so many terrible memories, all I had to do was give them a little nudge and let his mind do the rest. It truly is amazing he hasn’t broken already under the weight of them. His brother however… I could not stop him. Looking into his mind alone was almost impossible. Attempting to stop him could have destroyed me.”_

“So they’re gone now. I’m safe.”

_“So long as you have me, yes. You will be safe.”_

Nico nodded, inhaling a deep breath before he started walking further into the Labyrinth.

 *** 

“Fuck! We lost him! How the hell did we lose him?!” Dean said, glaring out his window.

Sam and Deanwere sitting at the outskirts of town, having just driven from one end to the other without any sign of Nico.

“I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t leave town. Maybe he’s waiting for us to stop looking so he can leave.”

Dean continued glaring out the window saying, “Fine, we’ll look through town and try to find him. Check any alleys, the park, wherever he could be hiding.”

“Okay. Great.” Sam said, turning the engine back on and heading back into town.

 ***

 Nico walked for half an hour before stopping to rest. He was still exhausted from the other day and the adrenaline rush from the chase had left him even more tired.

Sitting down, Nico looked around the room, taking it in. It was a huge, dome-shaped area with a stone floor and matching walls. It seemed to stretch on for at least 100 yards if not further. Looking up, he could see the ceiling at least another 100 yards above him and he could hear the sound of water rushing by somewhere nearby.

Lying down in the shadows of the wall, Nico pulled his dagger from his belt, holding it close should any monsters sneak up on him and slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

 ***

 Sam and Dean had been driving through the city for only fifteen minutes when Sam finally spotted something. Pulling into the alley behind the hospital, Sam cut the engine and got out, crouching beside the wall.

Dean stepped out of the car wondering why on earth Sam had stopped here. Walking around to where Sam was crouching, Dean leaned down to see what he was looking at. But there was nothing there.

“Umm… Dude, why are you staring at a brick wall?”

“That mark there, see it? I noticed it from the road. It was visible through the garbage bin.”

“Sam, there’s no mark there.” Dean said, looking at his brother as if he were crazy.

Sam glanced up at Dean with the same expression on his face. “What are you talking about? It’s right there, right above my finger. It’s a Greek Delta and somehow I could see it through solid plastic. And I want to know why.”

Dean continued to stare at Sam, seriously feeling worried now. “Dude, if your over tired, you can go back to the motel and rest. I’ll find Nico –“

Suddenly there was a grinding noise and the wall in front of them started to shift. Staring, Sam and Dean watched as a small hole, no more than four feet tall and three feet across, slowly opened in front of them.

“Okay, well that wasn’t weird. What do you wanna bet this is where Nico is hiding?”

Sam glanced up at Dean with a smile on his face. “Creepy necromancer hiding in the creepier hole? Sounds like fun,” he said before crawling inside the hole, Dean right behind him.


	5. The Chase

Sam hit the ground with a muffled _thump_ , Dean landing on top of him. Groaning, Sam rolled over, shoving his brother off and looking up at the hole they had fallen through. But it wasn’t there.

Leaping up, Sam ran to the wall and began searching frantically for any sign of the door.

Dean slowly stood up, feeling his joints popping as they straightened. Looking around, he saw Sam beside the wall where the opening… had been. Dean felt his eyes widen as he realized their predicament. Joining his brother at the wall, Dean ran his hand over the smooth stone for any traces of the entrance but there were none.

Sighing, Dean turned to face Sam who was staring back with a slightly panicked look on his face.

“Looks like we’re stuck. Might as well explore, and trytofind Nico.”

“Yeah, but if we stay here, he’s got to come back out eventually right? We can just wait for him.”

“Aww, are you scared Sammy? I’ll protect you.” Dean laughed at Sam’s bitch-face, a perfect 10. “Besides, there might be more than one exit. He could slip out somewhere else and we wouldn’t have any idea.”

“Fine, okay, you’re right.”

“Of course I am Sammy. Big brother’s always right.” Dean said with a grin before turning and walking towards the room’s exit.

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother’s back before following him out of the room.

They had only been walking for a few minutes when the tunnel split, running in opposite directions. Glancing both ways, Dean looked at Sam saying, “what do you think? Flip a coin to decide the way?”

Sam looked down the tunnel to the left, biting his lip. He didn’t know how but he was fairly certain that was the way they wanted to go.

“Hey, earth to Sam. We need to figure out which way to go.”

“It’s this way,” Sam said and started walking down the tunnel on the left. Before he could take more than two steps however, Dean grabbed his arm saying, “and how do you know that?”

“There’s a faint light on the floor from that direction. Can’t you see it? It’s barely there but it is there. It’s the way we want to go.”

Dean just stared at him, unsure of what to do. “What if you’re wrong?”

“I’m not Dean. You have to trust me.” Sam looked at his brother with his best puppy-dog eyes, silently begging Dean to believe him.

Dean sighed and glanced over Sam’s shoulder into the tunnel. As far as he could tell, both were identical. But they had nothing else to go on and who knows? Sam had done some crazy things before, it wasn’t impossible that he also had a supernatural sense of direction.

“Okay Sammy. Let’s try it your way.”

Sam nodded and began walking down the tunnel.

***

“Sam, are you sure we’re headed the right way? I haven’t seen any exits yet.”

“Yes I’m sure Dean. Just trust me. We need to turn right here.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“I told you, I can see light. I don’t know how you can’t. And watch out for the hole!” Sam said, grabbing Dean’s arm before he could fall in.

“Christ, I can’t see anything in here. Hold on a sec, I’m gonna grab my flashlight.” Dean said and a moment later the tunnel was flooded with bright yellow light.

“What don’t you trust me, Dean?” Sam asked teasingly. Dean punched his brother’s arm in response, saying, “not all of us have a sixth sense like you. I like to be able to see where I’m going.”

Suddenly Sam stopped walking, holding a hand up for Dean to do the same. “Do you hear that? It sounds like running water.”

“Yeah I hear it. Could be a sewer or something. I guess we are getting somewhere!” Dean grinned at Sam and they started walking again, trying to find the source of the water.

*** 

Following the sound of the water, Sam and Dean eventually stumbled into a huge, dome-shaped room. Looking around, they saw it had a stone floor and walls, stretching 100 yards across and up. And there, on the floor against the wall, half-hidden in shadows lay Nico.

Nudging Sam, Dean nodded towards him. “Looks like we found Nico.”

“Well then, let’s go talk to him.”

 ***

 Footsteps. That was what woke him up. Nico lay where he was, listening as they approached him. It sounded like two of them. But what were they? There were many different types of monsters living in the Labyrinth but Nico had a feeling that if it were monsters he would already be dead.

_It can’t be them. There’s no way they could’ve found the Labyrinth’s entrance and managed to find me. But who else could it be?_ As these thoughts ran through Nico’s head, he realized the footsteps had stopped. Clutching his dagger tight, he rolled over and saw Dean and his brother looking down at him.

Scrambling up, Nico gripped his dagger tightly in front of himself, praying they wouldn’t attack him; although the dagger looked impressive he knew it wouldn’t do much against two mortals.

Stepping back, Dean raised his hands saying, “We’re not here to fight Nico. We just want to talk to you, okay? That’s it.”

“How did you find me?” Nico had been trying to figure it out but he couldn’t come up with any answers.

Nico had directed his question towards Dean but it was the brother who answered. “By chance. I noticed the Delta symbol in the alley and when we went to inspect it the tunnel entrance suddenly opened for us. We’ve been wandering around in here for almost an hour.”

Nico stared at the brother in shock. There was no way he could have seen the symbol. Only demigods and certain mortals should be able to see it as far as he knew. “How did you see the symbol? Aren’t you mortal?”

It was Sam’s turn to look surprised. What did Nico mean, asking if he was mortal? “Of course I’m mortal. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Only – wait… You don’t know what I am, do you?”

Sam and Dean exchanged looks of confusion. This conversation was getting weirder and weirder. “No we don’t know. So why don’t you tell us.” Dean said, starting to get impatient. 

“It’s not like you’ll believe me anyways, so why not. I’m a demigod.”

Sam and Dean stared at him in shock.

“Demigod. As in son of a god and –“

“And human, yeah. I’m the son of Hades,” Nico finished with a grin.

“A demigod. Seriously?” Dean asked incredulously.

Nico sighed, rolling his head back and stretching his neck. “See? I told you that you wouldn’t believe me.”

“No, we believe you. Trust me, we’ve heard weirder. It’s just a bit of a shock,” Sam said, trying to recover. When he had first heard of Nico, he had expected him to be different but he hadn’t expected son-of-the-Greek-god-of-death different.

“Okay, so you believe me. That still doesn’t explain how you could see the symbol for the entrance to the Labyrinth. Are you able to see through the Mist? Only mortals who are able to see through the Mist or demigods should be able to see that symbol.”

Sam shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I could see it through a garbage can though. I saw it glowing through solid plastic. I don’t know why.”

“Okay, fine. You’re not a demigod so you can see through the Mist. But you didn’t know that I was a demigod so why were you chasing me?”

“Because of what you were doing in the graveyard.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out you were performing necromancy. What we want to know is why.”

Nico felt himself stiffen as Dean spoke. He had really hoped to keep that a secret. But now that Dean had finally managed to catch up with him, he was scared of what Kronos would do.

“What the hell do you think I was doing? I was trying to raise someone.”

“No shit. But who? And why?” Dean asked, feeling his patience wearing thin.

Nico bit his lip, thinking. _If I tell them the truth, Kronos will punish me. But they’ll know if I try to lie._ Sighing, Nico looked at Dean and said, “I can’t tell you. And if I could I wouldn’t. Besides, it’s none of your business what I’m doing.”

Dean glared at Nico, leaning in closer, crowding him back against the wall. “When people start playing in dark arts or hurting people it becomes my business. So I suggest you talk. Or we can just kill you.”

“Dean!” Sam said sharply, looking at his brother. “Dean he’s only a kid!”

“If people are getting hurt because of his idiocy, then we have to stop it. He has the choice to cooperate.” Looking back at Nico, Dean raised an eyebrow. “So what’s it gonna be, kid?”

Nico glared right back, trying to look like he wasn’t scared of Dean. “I’m _not_ hurting anyone though. So why don’t you just butt out of my business?”

Grabbing Nico by the front of his shirt, he dragged him up until their faces were inches apart. “You might not be hurting anyone now but what happens when you manage to raise those spirits? They can’t be controlled and they _will_ hurt someone. Maybe not right away but it’ll happen. And we can’t let you do that. So tell me who you’re trying to resurrect.” Dropping Nico, Dean stepped back, giving him some space.

Suddenly Nico’s shoulder’s sagged, all the fight leaving him. If he didn’t cooperate, they would kill him. If he did, Kronos would punish him. There wasn’t any way he was winning but he might at least survive Kronos.

Opening his mouth to speak, Nico felt knife of pain through his head. Staggering back against the wall, he shut his eyes, trying to make it better but it just continued to get worse. Suddenly he heard a whimper in front of him and opened his eyes to see Dean kneeling on the floor in front of him, a look of pure terror on his face and his brother next to him, shaking him. Closing his eyes again, he could hear Kronos’ cruel laughter echoing in his head.

_“You should not have betrayed me Nico. You should have listened to me more carefully. Now you must be punished.”_ Kronos’ voice lanced through his head and the last thing Nico remembered was knocking his head against the wall as he fell.


	6. Out of the Labyrinth

Sam knelt beside his brother, trying to get him to focus. He was having another flashback by the looks of it, this one worse than earlier and Sam couldn’t get through to him. Looking up, he saw Nico collapsing on the floor, seemingly knocked out. Not knowing what else to do, Sam did the only thing he could think of and prayed.

_Please Castiel. I need you. Dean needs you. I don’t know what happened but it’s bad. We’re in New Hampshire. Hurry._

Suddenly there was the soft sound of feathers rustling behind him. Turning, Sam saw Cas standing there and felt relief rush through him.

“Sam, what happened to your brother?”

“I don’t know. We were questioning Nico when suddenly they both collapsed.”

Moving beside Sam, Cas knelt down and placed his fingers on Dean’s forehead. Closing his eyes, he concentrated for a minute before moving to Nico and doing the same thing.

Standing, Cas looked towards Dean saying, “This is not normal. Someone is causing it. I can feel their power but I am unable to place it. I may be able to block it if I can figure out who is doing this.”

“Whatever you need to do, Cas. Just help him.”

Cas nodded and knelt down beside Nico again. Placing his fingers on Nico’s temples, Cas closed his eyes and allowed his Grace to seep through the connection into the child. Pushing himself further, he entered Nico’s mind and began following the trace of power, trying to find who it belonged to.

Minutes passed in silence as Sam watched Cas kneeling there before he finally opened his eyes and stood again. Looking down at Dean, he frowned, a worried look passing over his face.

“The power… it’s old. And strong. I might not be able to block it,” Cas said, still staring down at Dean.

“You have to try. Please Cas, we can’t leave them like this.”

“The power belongs to Kronos. His power is incredibly strong for a Pagan god. So why has it not affected you?”

“I don’t care about me! Just help Dean!”

Cas looked at Sam for a few moments before finally nodding. “Alright. I will help your brother. I should be able to block the power now I know the source.” Closing his eyes again, Cas concentrated once more, but this time on blocking the power. Touching into his Grace, Cas began winding it around the power, pulling it apart as if it were strands of a rope and tying the strands off so they could not reach their destinations.

Working like this for a few minutes, Cas finally reached the last strand, tying it off and opening his eyes.

Dean lay on the ground beside Sam, apparently asleep. Nico was still knocked out where he had fallen, blood slowly trickling down the back of head and disappearing under his shirt.

“I was able to break the connection but I am not sure how long it will last. We need to leave now.”

“Okay, can you zap us out?”

“No. Stopping Kronos took too much energy. We’re going to have to walk,” Cas said. Bending down, he grabbed Dean and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman carry. “Grab the child and we’ll leave.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to wake them up?” Sam asked, walking over and picking up Nico.

Cas shook his head saying, “It is better if Dean is unconscious right now. His mind needs to recover from Kronos’ attack. He managed to bring back some of Dean’s worst memories of hell. And the child was injured when he fell. Since I am unable to heal him at the moment, he must stay unconscious or risk making his injury worse.”

“Well then let’s try to find an exit.”

“I do not know if that will be possible until I regain my strength. But we need to at least leave this area before Kronos can find us again.”

“What do you mean impossible? Can’t we just follow the tunnel until we find another exit?”

Cas turned and looked at Sam again. “Do you not know where we are, Sam? We’re in the Labyrinth.”

Sam just stared back at Cas feeling confused. “Well yeah, I get that it’s big but –“

“No Sam. Not _a_ Labyrinth. _The_ Labyrinth. The one Daedalus built to contain the Minotaur in the time of King Minos. It stretches across America, constantly expanding and changing. When you prayed to me you said you were in New Hampshire. You’re not though. You’re in Boston. The only reason I found you was because you prayed specifically to me. The soul acts as a beacon at such times, allowing angels to pinpoint prayers. Now do you understand why we may never find an exit until I am able to take us out of here?”

Sam stared at Cas in shock. “But how is that possible?! How can we be in the Labyrinth? Even if it exists, it was built in Crete! How is it in America?”

Suddenly Nico shuddered in Sam’s arms, letting out a low whimper.

“We need to leave Sam. Kronos is starting to regain his hold. I can protect them if we move before he finds us but I don’t have the strength to stop him again.”

“Okay, let’s go,” Sam said and started walking. Leaving the room, Sam and Cas followed the tunnel as it twisted and turned, using the sound of the water as a guide.

Fifteen minutes later the tunnel turned sharply, opening at a sewer.

“Looks like we’ll be able to find our way out after all,” Sam said grinning over at Cas, who just nodded and continued walking.

After another fifty or so yards, Sam and Cas finally found a grate leading up to the street. Opening it, Sam pulled himself out onto an empty road before turning and grabbing first Nico then Dean out of Cas’ arms. Once all of them were out on the street, Sam stood with Nico in his arms, looking around.

“Where are we?” Sam asked, glancing at Cas.

“Philadelphia. It’s three in the morning.”

“Only three? I would’ve expected it to be later.”

“It’s the day after you entered the Labyrinth. You were there twenty-four hours,” Cas responded and started walking. “Come on Sam, we need to find somewhere safe to stay until I can get my strength back.”

“Okay, I have my wallet, let’s try to find a motel. And after, we’ll have to return to New Hampshire to get our stuff and the car,” Sam said, following Cas as they set off in search of somewhere to rest.

***

Half an hour later, Sam and Cas opened the door to the motel room they had paid for. Luckily they hadn’t been too far from the edge of town and had managed to find the motel without any hassle.

Walking over to the bed furthest from the window, Sam put Nico down, rolling him on his back to examine his head.

“I don’t think it’s too deep. It doesn’t need stitches. Just needs to be cleaned and wrapped until you can fix it. How’s Dean looking?” Sam asked, walking over to the bed Dean was now occupying.

“He’s better. We can wake him up now, but he might try to attack if he doesn’t recognize us so be careful,” Cas said, moving over to give Sam room.

Nodding, Sam reached out a hand, shaking Dean’s shoulder. “Hey Dean, wake up. Come on man, time to get up.”

Letting out a low groan, Dean rolled over cracking his eyes open. Suddenly his eyes went wide and he jumped up, attempting to attack Sam. Luckily Sam was ready and managed to grab Dean’s wrist, pulling his brother around to face him.

“Hey Dean, it’s me. It’s Sam, your brother. Come one dude, snap out of it!”

Looking up at Sam, Dean’s eyes went wide again before he relaxed, slumping against Sam.

“Fuck. What happened to me?”

“You’re mind was attacked by Kronos. He has been attached to Nico for a while now and attacked you both. For some reason Sam was not affected,” Cas said, stepping up beside Sam.

“Cas, what are you doing here?” Dean asked, only just noticing the angel.

“Sam prayed to me when you went unconscious. I managed to break Kronos’ hold but it drained my strength. We will not be able to return to New Hampshire until I have recovered.”

“Wha- What do you mean return? If we aren’t there, where the hell are we?”

“Philadelphia.”

“How the fuck did we end up in Philadelphia?!”

“Dean shut up! You’re going to – “

“Sam, we’re in fucking Philadelphia and you expect me to be calm?! Why the hell aren’t you freaking out?”

“Dean,” Cas said calmly. “You weren’t in a normal tunnel when I found you. You were in the Labyrinth. The one built on Crete to contain the Minotaur. It has moved to America under the influence of the Greek gods. Time and space do not exist in the Labyrinth as they do on the surface. It is constantly expanding and retracting, allowing people to travel great distances in only a few hours. It can trap a man inside for hours but for him only a few minutes will seem to pass. You spent twenty-four hours inside there.”

Dean continued to look at Cas in shock, his face becoming paler and paler. “But how – what do you mean Greek gods? And where the hell is my car?!”

Sam sighed and glanced over at Cas as well. “I think we should start from the beginning.”

Cas nodded, looking back at Sam. “Tell me what happened since you arrived in New Hampshire. There are some parts to this story that aren’t making sense. By then I should have regained my strength and we can return to New Hampshire to retrieve your car,” he finished, glancing at Dean.

Sam nodded, sitting down at the table as he began to speak…


	7. A Safe Place to Rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a while! My editor and I were moving into our student house for the past couple days.

“After we lost Nico we went back to the car and started driving. We were passing an alley and I noticed a symbol, a Greek Delta, glowing on the side of a garbage can. When I pulled over to take a look, it turned out that the symbol was actually on the alley wall and I could see it through the can, but Dean couldn’t see it. I don’t know why.” Sam closed his eyes, scrubbing a hand over his face. He had been up for almost forty-eight hours straight and was ready to pass out.

“And this symbol was beside the entrance to the Labyrinth?” Cas asked, never taking his eyes off Sam.

“Yeah. I touched it and it opened up,” Sam said, glancing up at Cas. “And then when we found Nico, he said the Delta was a ‘symbol for the Labyrinth’ or something like that.”

“He’s right. That symbol is only visible to a select few. Demigods and mortals who are able to see through the Mist are the only humans able to see it.”

“What does that _mean_ , being able to see through the Mist? And how the hell do you know about all this,” Dean asked, speaking for the first time since Sam had started their story; he had been too busy glowering at Cas and Sam over the loss of his car to pay any attention until now.

“The Mist works as a veil, separating the world of mortals and monsters,” Cas said, turning to Dean for the first time. “When a regular mortal sees a monster, the Mist disguises it to look more normal. They might see a deformed human or some sort of animal rather than its true form. Demigods, as you know, are the offspring of both gods and mortals, making them part of both worlds. There are also some mortals who are born with a clear mind, giving them the ability to see through the Mist. They are not tricked by it, allowing them to see a monster’s true form and travel through the Labyrinth.”

“That doesn’t make any sense though. Both Dean and I are able to see monsters but only I could see the symbol. And everyone we’ve saved could see the monsters,” Sam said, starting to get impatient.

“The Mist was created by the Greek gods to hide the monsters of Greek and Roman origin only, such as Medusa, Cyclopes, or the Minotaur. It doesn’t apply to other monsters because they came into existence after the Mist was created.”

“Okay fine. But how do you know this stuff,” Dean asked again.

“I have been watching this Earth for many years, Dean. I have heard and seen many things.”

“But how I could see the symbol or find the way through the Labyrinth?”

“You didn’t mention that,” Cas said, turning back to Sam.

“Because we haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“Well then continue.”

Sam sighed, glancing over at Dean but apparently his brother had fallen back into his earlier mood and was again glowering at Sam and Cas. No help from that corner.

Stretching, Sam faced Cas again and continued speaking.

“When we got to the wall, I touched the symbol and suddenly the entrance opened. Dean and I thought Nico could be hiding in there so we decided to explore. We went inside and when we turned around, the entrance was gone. We couldn’t see any switch or figure out a way to open it so we decided to keep going forward. After a few minutes we hit a fork in the road. We were trying to decide which way to go and I just… I knew the way.”

“What do you mean ‘you knew the way’?”

“I dunno Cas. There was a faint light coming from one of the tunnels. It felt safer and the other one felt more… dangerous I guess. It was almost like an instinct. I can’t really describe it.”

“What happened next?” Cas asked, staring intently at Sam.

“We followed the tunnel and eventually heard water flowing beside us. We decided to follow that to see if there was a sewer or something and that’s how we found Nico, sleeping in the tunnel. When we woke him up, he asked how we found him. We told him about seeing the Delta and how the entrance just opened. He told us that he’s a demigod and that only certain people can see the symbol. When we tried to question him about what he was doing in the graveyard, Dean and him suddenly collapsed. That’s when I prayed to you,” Sam finished, yawning again. _What I wouldn’t do for a coffee right now…_  

“Is that everything that happened?”

At Sam’s nod, Cas stood up and made his way towards Sam, standing in front of the young hunter. “Alright. I have an idea of how you saw the symbol and knew the way through the Labyrinth. But it is going to involve touching your thoughts and possibly your soul for me to be sure,” Cas said, reaching a hand out.

“Wha – no! Cas, come on man. It’s almost dawn and I’ve been up since yesterday morning. I need to sleep. Let me just rest for a few hours and we can figure this out later.”

Cas stared at Sam for a few more seconds before nodding his head in agreement. “Alright. Sleep for a few hours while I take care of Nico, now my strength has returned. We can discuss this later.”

“Good, so we can go get my car,” Dean said, looking up at Cas.

“Dean, I don’t think –“

“No offense, but I don’t really care what you think Cas,” Dean said, standing and facing the angel. “You and Sam have dragged my ass through four states, leaving behind my car and most of our arsenal. I don’t want some idiot police officer finding those guns and putting me back on the Most Wanted list and I definitely don’t want my baby getting stolen or smashed up by some thug. The sooner I get back to her the better. So how about you fix up the kid and you and me head back to New Hampshire. We’ll meet Sam back here in a few hours _with_ my car.”

“Alright. Let me heal Nico and we can leave,” Cas said, moving forward and kneeling beside Nico’s bed. Closing his eyes, Cas reached out at touched two fingers to Nico’s temple, allowing his Grace to flow through the connection. After a moment, he stood again and faced Sam and Dean.

“His injuries are healed and I have placed him in a deeper sleep. He won’t wake up until I return.”

“Alright, let’s go then. See you in a few Sammy,” Dean said, stepping towards Cas.

“Yeah, see you,” Sam said as they disappeared. Yawning, Sam grabbed his gun, placing it under his pillow before practically falling into bed. He was asleep in seconds.

 ***

Arriving back in New Hampshire Dean and Cas walked through town, eventually coming to where the Impala had been parked. But it wasn’t there.

“Are you fucking kidding me! This is great. Just fuckinggreat,” Dean said, resisting the urge to punch something.

“I do not see what is great about this situation, Dean. Do you not remember where you left the car?”

Dean closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Counting to three, he opened his eyes again saying, “It’s not great Cas. The car’s been impounded, which means we need to get to the nearest lot and hope they haven’t decided to open the trunk.”

“Alright. I will find it and come get you,” Cas said before disappearing.

“No wait Cas! Dammit!” Dean yelled and started pacing. He knew Cas would be back soon but he hated waiting, especially with his baby on the line.

A few seconds later there was the sounds of wings behind him and turning around, Dean saw Cas standing behind him.

“I found an impound lot on the edge of town near the police station. I can take you there now.”

Nodding, Dean stepped forward and suddenly he was transported to the lot.

***

Getting his car back was a lot easier than Dean had expected. Luckily the guards hadn’t bothered searching it and since it had only been brought in the evening before the fine hadn’t been too expensive.

Fifteen minutes later, Dean and Cas were pulling up in front of the motel room Sam and Dean had been staying in while on the hunt. Opening the door, Dean grabbed his and Sam’s duffels and extra guns, glad they had decided to pay for a couple extra nights in advance. Locking the door behind him, Dean went to the main office and handed in the keys before getting back into the Impala. Leaving the parking lot he turned left, heading for the I-95.

After a few minutes of driving along to Def Leppard, Dean reached out, turning off the music. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he glanced over at Cas who was staring out his window watching the landscape flash by.

“So Cas… You said earlier that you have a theory about what’s going on with Sam… What was your theory?”

“You know now that your brother has always had demon blood in him. I believe it has something to do with that. Whether it is the blood that Azazel gave him as a child or the blood he is drinking now I do not know.”

“What? But how would the demon blood affect his ability to see through the Mist? They’re from two completely different religions.”

“Paganism and Catholicism have much more in common than you would believe. But that is not what I meant. Demon blood possesses many powers, especially enhancing mental faculties as you have seen. It is my belief that either the blood already inside him or what Ruby is giving him has provided him a clear mind, allowing him to see through the Mist. If that is the case, it has also strengthened his mind enough that Kronos was not able to attack it like he attacked you and Nico. However, I cannot be certain until I have touched his mind.”

Dean sat there in shock, unable to respond. He had had an idea of what the demon blood had one to brother but this was beyond what he could have guessed. Turning the music on again, they drove the rest of the way back to Pennsylvania in silence.


	8. Demon Blood: May Cause Superpowers

Sam woke up to a stabbing pain in his head. Putting his hands against his temples, he felt another bolt of pain shoot through, making him curl up into a ball. Taking deep breaths, Sam tried to clear his head enough to figure out what was going on. He knew it couldn’t be Kronos attacking him, there was no way the Titan knew where they were and besides, he had never affected Sam before. His entire body was shaking and his vision was starting to swim. It was withdrawal.

Realization hit him with a sudden wave of nausea, causing Sam to dry-heave over the side of his bed. Once the nausea had passed, he staggered up, stumbling towards his duffel and grabbing his flask. Putting the small opening to his mouth, Sam took a swig and immediately felt the withdrawal symptoms recede, leaving only strength and energy in their place. Taking a deep breath, Sam sat down on his bed, cursing himself for being so stupid. Cas had told him they had spent a full day in the Labyrinth and Sam knew he had to drink the demon blood every two days minimum or suffer and he had still forgotten. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he had woken up even a few minutes later; by then he knew he would have been completely lost in the hallucinations, unable to help himself in any way. Sighing, he lay back in his bed trying to fall asleep again and knowing it would be futile.

Fifteen minutes later, Sam opened his eyes in defeat. Sitting up, he glanced over to where Nico still lay sleeping. Remembering what Cas had said about Nico not waking up until he returned, Sam decided it was safe to run across the street and grab some breakfast.

Opening the door to the diner, Sam went up to the counter, ordering a coffee and a bagel for himself and another for Nico. _Who knows how long it’s been since the last time he ate._

Getting his change back, Sam left the diner and headed back to the motel when he noticed the Impala sitting there. Smiling to himself, Sam decided to do the decent thing and slipped back inside the diner to get his brother a piece of the raspberry pie sitting on the counter.

***

Dean looked up as the motel room door swung open, revealing a refreshed-looking Sam. Dean glared at his brother, annoyed at him for leaving Nico alone even if the kid wouldn’t wake up and run off. What if something had happened to him while he was sleeping?

Dean was just about to tear Sam a new one for it when he noticed the small, clear plastic container in his brother’s hand and all his annoyance went out the window.

“Dude is that _pie?”_

“Yeah, raspberry. It looked so good sitting there I just had to buy myself a slice,” Sam said, trying to keep a straight face. At Dean’s expression though, Sam broke down laughing and handed over the pie.

Grunting his thanks, Dean sat down at the table and started eating. Looking around, Sam noticed Cas for the first time.

“Hey Cas, how’s Nico doing?”

“He is fine although it was unwise to leave him alone. Something could have happened to him.”

“Well I only went across the street. And besides, we set up wards last night when we got in remember?”

“Yes but those do not protect against his scent. Many Greek monsters are able to track Demigods on their scent. Leaving him unprotected leaves him at risk.”

“You didn’t tell me that! How would I know how monsters –“

“Guys, I think we have more important things to deal with right now. We still need to figure out how to help Nico and how you could see the symbol and all that,” Dean said, turning to Sam.

“Your brother is right Sam. As I said last night I have a theory about your… abilities. I believe that the demon blood Azazel infected you with is what granted you your powers. I told Dean that demon blood has many powerful properties. Some of these have already affected you, such as your precognition and your ability to exorcise and even destroy demons, which Ruby has helped you master. If I am correct, the combination of both Azazel’s blood and Ruby’s blood has strengthened your mind, allowing you to see through the Mist and protecting you from Kronos.

Sam stared at Cas, unable to think of anything to say.

“But Cas… how is that possible?” Sam asked after a minute. “How would _that_ part of me affect my ability to see through the Mist? They’re not even the same religion!”

“As I explained to your brother, I am not referring to the religious origins. I already said that demon blood is extremely powerful. Azazel’s blood alone was enough to give you your powers before; it is plausible that his and Ruby’s blood gave you further abilities. However, I do need to look into your mind to be sure.”

Sam sat there, reeling from what Cas was saying. He was vaguely aware of someone calling his name but it wasn’t until he felt a sharp pinch that he managed to pull himself out of his thoughts, hissing in pain.

“Dean, what the hell? That hurt.”

“Stop being such a wuss Samantha. You sat there for a full minute without responding to your name. We needed to get your attention.”

Dragging his eyes up from his lap, Sam glanced at Cas standing over him.

“Sam, I need your permission to touch your mind. Will you let me?”

Sam only hesitated for a moment before nodding his head for Cas to proceed.

“Alright. This may hurt. Try to relax though. It may help the pain,” Cas said, giving Sam a second to gather himself before moving forward and toughing his fingers to Sam’s temple.

***

Sam could hear someone whispering close by. Trying to ignore the noise and his growing headache, he closed his eyes again, attempting to fall back asleep.

“He’s been knocked out for three hours Cas. Can’t you do something to help him?”

 _Who’s Dean talking about_? Sam thought, feeling sleep continue to slip away from him.

“I can not. He needs to wake up at his own pace. The pain was worse than I thought it would be. If I wake him up too soon, it could destroy his mind.”

Cursing followed this statement. Very loud cursing. Wincing, Sam opened an eye and glanced up at his brother. “Shut up Dean. I’m trying to sleep.”

“Sam! Are you okay?”

Sam winced again at his brother’s loud tone. “I’m okay, just a bad headache. Can you keep it down a bit?”

“Sorry man, I'm just worried. You’ve been out for three hours. Cas refused to try waking you up.”

“Dean I told you –“

“Yeah I know. Sam, do you want some Advil or water?”

“Both would be great Dean. Thanks.”

As Dean got up to grab Advil and a glass of water, Cas came over to the bed, staring down at Sam.

“Sam, I am sorry –“

“Don’t apologize Cas. I agreed to do it.”

“But I was not careful enough. I could have killed you.”

“I heard what you said to Dean, about not knowing how dangerous it was. Really Cas, it’s okay. We all make mistakes. I’m alive aren’t I?” Sam said with a smile. Seeing that Cas was going to continue arguing, Sam quickly changed the subject as Dean came back into the room.

“So did you at least find what you were looking for?” Sam asked, taking the Advil and swallowing it and the water gratefully; he hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until now.

“Yes, it seems I was right. The demon blood is the cause of your powers. It is an interesting thing to happen. You were able to see the symbol for the Labyrinth, open it, and find your way through and then you managed to resist Kronos. We may be able to use this to our advantage against the demons… attack them when they are not expecting it, cross the country in a single night. This could tip the scales in our favour. We may be able to stop the Apocalypse after all.”

Sam leaned back against his pillows with a groan. It was too much to take in. He was still groggy with sleep and Cas was talking about stopping the damn Apocalypse.  Even thinking about it was making his head spin. All he wanted to do was fall asleep again but he could hear a small, nagging voice at the back of his mind, telling him that he had forgotten something, something important…

“Nico!” Sam said, sitting up again. “What happened to him? Have we talked to him yet?”

“No, we were waiting for you to wake up. He’s still sleeping. We can wake him up now and talk to him if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I’m fine Dean. Let’s talk to him.” Sam moved to get out of bed, his headache almost gone from the Advil. Swinging his legs over the side, Sam made to get up but stumbled, falling into Dean.

“Yeah sure you’re fine. Go back to sleep Sam. We’ll wake you up in a few hours. We’ll talk to Nico then.”

“But –“

“No. Bed. In fact, I could use some sleep as well. I’m going to get us another room. Cas, you stay here and keep an eye on Nico. Sam and I will get our own room. We’ll be back in six hours.” Standing, Dean grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled him to his feet. Sam stood there swaying before finding his center of gravity and, taking a deep breath, walked out of the room with Dean.

Five minutes later they were in their own room both already asleep.


	9. I Dreamed a Dream

In his dream, Nico was walking alone along the bank of a river trying to reach the faint light ahead of him. It was dark where he was, no moon or stars to tell how much time had passed. It could have been three hours or five minutes. He didn’t remember how he had gotten here or even where he was but he knew he needed to reach the light, that somehow it was important.

Time passed, the light slowly growing brighter as Nico approached until he had to squint to see it.  Drawing level with it, Nico closed his eyes, turning his face away when the light vanished. Looking up, Nico saw Bianca standing in front of him, a faint glow radiating off her.

“Bianca… How…?”

“Oh Nico. I’ve missed you so much,” She said with a smile.

Nico reached out to touch her but when he placed a hand on her arm, all he felt was thin air.

“You cannot touch me Nico. I am only a spirit and this is just a dream.”

Nico just stood there, staring at his sister with his arm still raised towards her. He was vaguely aware of tears streaming down his face but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Why haven’t you come to me before? I needed you! I tried to raise you and you ignored me! Why did you ignore me? Don’t you love me?”

Bianca just looked at him, her expression a mix of pity and sadness. “Nico, I couldn’t let you raise me. I knew about the deal you made with the Titan and I knew that if I came you would serve him. I could not let you do that. I tried to come to you before in your dreams, but the Titan still had a hold on you. I was able to speak with you briefly but he destroyed the memory when you woke up.”

“I remember that… I woke up and couldn’t remember my dream. I had the feeling that something was wrong but I didn’t know why.”

“Yes. I told you about his plans for you. Nico you can’t serve him. He will use you to destroy the gods, destroy the world!”

“Why should I care? The gods never cared about me! All they’ve done is destroy everything I love! How can you be on their side Bianca? They took you from me!” Nico fell to his knees, no longer able to stand.

“Nico the gods didn’t take me from you. I made my own choices. I wanted to become a Hunter of Artemis. I willingly gave my life to save my friends in the Junkyard. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I’m the one who wronged you.”

“But Percy –“

“Percy tried to stop me. He was going to sacrifice himself for my mistake. I couldn’t let him do that. You need to forgive him Nico. He did everything he could.”

“It’s not FAIR! He promised he would keep you alive and he didn’t!”

“Life is never fair Nico, especially for children of the gods. You need to forgive Percy. Forgive him and let me go. I am going to leave this place. I want to go to the Isles of the Blest.”

“I can’t –“

“Yes you can. You’re strong. You can do this. Let Sam and Dean help you. Please Nico, you have to do this.”

“But I don’t want to lose you,” Nico said, his eyes filling with tears again.

“You won’t. Saying goodbye doesn’t mean losing someone. You’ll see me again. Come find me on the Isles. Three lifetimes Nico, that’s all. And then we can spend the rest of eternity together. Until then, you’ll have your memories of me. But you need to let me go.”

Trying once more to touch Bianca, Nico watched his hand reach through her and let it fall to his side again. Looking up, he saw Bianca smiling down at him sadly, waiting for him to make his decision.

“Goodbye Bianca.”

“Goodbye Nico. I love you.”

As she said the words, the light that had surrounded her earlier reappeared, growing brighter until Nico had to close his eyes against it. When he opened his eyes again, Bianca was gone.

Nico closed his eyes again, curling up on his side and began sobbing. He lay there for what felt like hours, before he finally slipped into a deeper sleep and dreamed no more.

 ***

Cas stood in the motel room staring out the window lost in thought. He had been standing there for the better part of six hours only leaving his post when he had noticed Nico crying on the bed. Walking over, he had touched his fingers to the child’s temple, allowing his Grace to flow through and settle him.

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand Cas saw that it had been exactly six hours. Picking up his phone, he called Dean.

Twenty minutes later Sam and Dean were watching Cas wake Nico up, prepared to grab him if he tried to run.

***

Opening his eyes, Nico saw a strange man staring down at him. Scrambling up, Nico pushed himself back until he hit the wall. Looking around he realized he was in a motel room with Sam and Dean staring at him.

“Who are you,” he asked looking up at the stranger. “What happened? We were in the Labyrinth and then… I don’t remember anything else.”

“This is Castiel. He’s… an angel,” Sam said.

Nico stared at Cas disbelievingly. “You’re not an angel. They don’t exist.”

“I assure you I am an angel. Your gods exist. So do many others.”

“Prove it.”

“Nico there’s no need –“ Dean started.

“No. If he is what he says he is then there’s no problem right? But I’m not talking to you guys until I know what he is.” Turning back to Cas, Nico raised an eyebrow at him. “Well? Are you an angel or not?”

Cas stared at Nico for another second before allowing his Grace to flow through him, displaying massive black wings on his back. Releasing more of his Grace, Cas spread his wings until they took up the entire motel room.

Curling up his wings again, Cas pulled his Grace back inside himself allowing his wings to disappear.

“Now do you believe?” Cas asked Nico, who was staring up at him in awe. Nico just nodded.

“Okay good. Now why don’t you answer our questions,” Dean said.

“First tell me what happened.”

“We’re the ones asking –“

“Dean,” Sam said, cutting off his brother. “We can answer his questions.”

“Fine,” Dean said standing up. “I’m gonna go get some food and you can explain things to him. You want anything?”

“Just a bagel.”

Dean nodded and turned to Nico. “You want anything, kid?”

Nico shifted where he sat, glancing down. “No. Nothing.”

Dean stood there staring at him for another second before turning and walking out the door.

“Sorry about him, he’s had a hard year,” Sam said, turning back to Nico. “Cas why don’t you sit down and we’ll talk.”

“Where are we?” Nico asked, moving to the edge of his bed now that Cas had moved.

“We’re in Philadelphia.”

Okay. How did we get here?”

“When you and Dean went unconscious I prayed to Cas to help us. He came, figured out that Kronos was attacking you and Dean –“

“Wait. You weren’t affected by him?”

“No. I’m – I’m immune in a sense. It’s not important.”

Nico hesitated for a second before nodding. “If you say so. What next?”

“Once he figured out what was wrong, Cas was able to break Kronos’ hold on you and Dean. He hid you from Kronos so he can’t find you anymore. Then Cas and I took you and Dean and left. We found an exit from the Labyrinth and ended up here, in Philadelphia. “

Just then Dean walked back in with a bag of food in one hand and a slice of pie in the other.

“Another one Dean?” Sam asked teasingly. Dean just shrugged his shoulders. “What? It’s good pie,” he said, tossing the bag on the table and opening it. “Okay, we have a bagel for you, a burger for me, and Nico I know you’re hungry, so I got you a grilled cheese.” Dean tossed the sandwich to Nico who eyed it suspiciously as if afraid it was going to attack him.

“Dude the thing’s not going to bite you. Just eat it.”

Nico unwrapped his grilled cheese and took a small bite, chewing it slowly and swallowing it. The rest was gone in seconds.

“Okay so I guess you were hungry.Want some fries too?” Dean asked, offering the take-out box.

Nico looked slightly embarrassed as he took the fries from Dean and began eating them.

“Thanks. I… I haven’t had many meals recently,” Nico muttered, a red flush creeping up his neck.

“Don’t worry about it. We know what that’s like,” Dean said. “So now that we’re all on the same page, let’s talk about what you were doing in the graveyard Nico.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m done with that,” Nico said, glancing down.

“And you expect us to just believe that?”

“The person I was trying to raise… she made me promise to stop. I’m not going to see her again.” Nico put his face in his hands, breathing deeply and trying not to cry.

“What do you mean she made you promise??” Dean asked after a minute.

Nico raised his head, his eyes now red-rimmed. “I saw her in a dream. She came to me and made me promise to stop.” Nico let out a small sob and buried his face in his hands again. Giving Nico some privacy, Dean motioned for Sam and Cas to follow him outside. Once the door was closed, Dean turned to Cas asking, “Is it true what he said?”

“Yes.”

“But what did he mean about his dream? He does realize that it was a dream of her, whoever she is, and not really her, right?”

“No, I believe that she might have visited him in a dream. Many demigods receive warnings and messages in their dreams. It would make sense if Bianca came to him in a dream. Especially if they are children of Hades, that would give them the ability to project themselves into dreams from beyond the grave.”

“How the hell do you know who it was? Or that she’s a child of Hades as well?” Dean asked.

“I was able to read his thoughts when I was stopping Kronos. All his thoughts were related to saving his sister. I also entered his mind when he was sleeping earlier in order to put him into a deeper sleep. He had been dreaming and when I touched him I was able to see parts of the dream. It was about his sister. She had asked him to stop trying to bring her back.”

“Okay so he might really be done with it. But what if he isn’t? What if he tries to raise her again later?”

“I won’t,” Nico said, opening the door. “And by the way, if you want to have a private conversation, try moving out of earshot.”

“Why should we believe you?” Dean asked skeptically.

 “Because it _was_ my sister I was trying to raise and I did see her in a dream. She made me promise not to do it. And besides, she’s not going to be in the Underworld much longer. She’s being reborn. She wants to reach the Isles of the Blest.”

“The what?” Dean asked, confusion clear on his face.

“The Isles of the Blest,” Nico replied, rolling his eyes. “How do you not know what the Isles of the Blest are? Basically there’re four places in the Underworld. The Fields of Punishment, I’m guessing you can figure that one out. Then there’s the Fields of Asphodel for people who didn’t make any impact, either positive or negative. They’re stuck in Limbo forever. Next is Elysium, which is heaven and everyone good goes there. And then there are the Isles of the Blest. It’s like… It’s like the most exclusive club in heaven and only a select group of people can get in. You have to do well in three separate lifetimes to go there.”

“Okay and you said your sister – Bianca? – is trying to reach the Isles of the Blest. Cas,” Sam said, turning towards the angel, “you said you saw his dream. Is what he said true?”

“What?! You saw my dream? But – How?”

“Yes Sam, Nico is speaking the truth. Bianca will soon be reborn,” said Cas.

“How did you see my dream?”

“I was watching over you while you slept. You started growing restless. When I went to put you into a deeper sleep, I saw your dream.”

“That was private!” Nico yelled.

“Nico it was an accident. He was trying to help you,” Sam said to Nico, trying to calm him down.

Nico glared at Cas for another few seconds before muttering, “fine,” and walking back inside the motel room, shutting the door firmly behind himself.

“We should probably give him a minute before we go in,” Sam said, stopping Cas’ hand on the doorknob. “He’s been through a lot today and having you snooping around in his thoughts even on accident was probably pretty hard on him.”

“Sam’s right. Let’s go into the parking lot for a minute. I think we need to talk in private,” said Dean, turning and walking over to the lot.

Walking over to the Impala, Dean jumped up on the hood, shifting over so Sam could join him.

“So what are we going to do about Nico?” Dean asked, glancing around.

“I don’t know. Even if he’s done with necromancy, we obviously can’t just leave him alone, he’s way too young. Especially if there are monsters on his trail. And we can’t take hm with us, he’s way too young. But I can’t think of any other options,” Sam said.

“Maybe he has somewhere he can go back to? Friends or some sort of home. We obviously can’t take him with us… We’ll have to ask him if he has somewhere we can take him.”

“Okay, let’s go talk to him then,” Sam said, jumping off the car.

Opening the motel room door, Sam and Dean found Nico curled up on the far bed staring at the wall. Stepping into the room, the brothers sat down on the closer bed while Cas leaned against the wall by the door.

“What do you want?” Nico asked, still facing the wall.

“Nico, we need to talk to you,” Sam said.

“Okay so talk.”

Sam glanced over at Dean, silently asking for help; Dean had always had a way of getting kids to open up to him. _Probably from being an older brother himself,_ Sam thought.

“Basically now we know you’re not going to cause any more trouble, we need to move on to the next hunt. Obviously we can’t bring you with us, so is there somewhere we can bring you where you’ll be safe?” Dean asked, coming to Sam’s rescue.

“Why can’t you bring me?” Nico asked, turning to face Dean. “I can help. I’m a lot tougher than I look and I’m a good fighter.”

“I’m sure you are good, Nico. But you’re too young. You’re what? Thirteen? I didn’t go on my hunt until I was sixteen.”

“Fine. Just leave me here, then. I can take care of myself,” Nico said, turning back towards the wall.

“I know it sucks Nico,” Sam started, “but –“

“No!” Nico said, sitting up. “You don’t know _anything_! I’ve never been good enough! I wasn’t good enough to go after my sister on her quest and she died! I never had anyone else, I could only ever trust her growing up and now she’s gone! She died because of me!”

“Nico, I’m sure that’s not –“

“Don’t tell me it’s not true! You want to know how she died? She woke the guardians of the gods’ Junkyard because she tried to steal a statuette of one of the gods. I was collecting them and it was the only one I was missing. She took it for _me_ and the gods killed her because of it. So don’t tell me that I didn’t kill her. You have no idea what it’s like, living with that guilt.”

“Yeah, I do, Nico,” Sam said, glancing at Dean. “I know exactly what it’s like, having to watch your family leave and being told you’re not allowed to go. I wasn’t allowed to hunt until I was sixteen either. I spent four years watching my brother and father drive away without me, wondering if I would see them again. And it sucks, it really does. But you _are_ too young. If something happens to you, how do you think we’re going to feel? Let us take you somewhere safe. There must be other demigods who could help you.”

Nico stared at Sam for another few seconds before sighing and lying back down. “There’s a camp for demigods in New York.”

“Okay. We’ll take you there. Let me go check us out and we can leave,” Dean said, standing and leaving the room.

Once the door closed, Nico turned back to the wall, ignoring Sam. Deciding to leave him to his thoughts, Sam got up and began gathering his and Dean’s things, stuffing them into their duffels while Cas watched from his spot beside the door.

Within a few minutes Dean and Sam had finished loading the car and were about to get in when Cas finally spoke.

“I am not coming with you Dean. I must go back to heaven to help Uriel.”

“Okay. Will Nico be alright without you?”

“Nico should be fine so long as he does not speak Kronos’ name. There is considerable power in names, especially in the name of such a powerful being. So long as he does not utter it, he will be safe.”

“Alright. Thanks for your help Cas,” Dean said, clapping the angel on the shoulder. Cas just nodded before vanishing with a rustle of wings.

Getting into the car, Dean glanced over his shoulder at Nico. “Okay kid, which way are we going?”


	10. The Kids are Alright

Nico stood on the other side of the magic boundary separating Camp Half-Blood from the mortal world, watching Sam and Dean drive away in their Chevy Impala.  Once they were out of sight, he turned around and headed into camp, intent on stealing some supplies from the store before leaving. He knew he should stop and talk to Percy, try to create a plan, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it yet.

 _Once I have some information_ , Nico thought, creeping past Poseidon’s cabin, _then I’ll go talk to him._

A few minutes later Nico left the supply store and snuck back to road beyond the border, intent on getting as far away from camp as possible.  Then he would start looking for a way to defeat Kronos.

***

Sam and Dean drove away from where they had dropped off Nico, heading south.

“You think he’ll be alright?” Sam asked glancing down at the directions Bobby had sent them for another job.

“Better than he would be if he’d stayed with us. We’ll just have to hope he’s smart enough to stay there and not go looking for trouble.”

“I guess so…” Sam said, resting his head against the window, trying to ignore the growing tension in the car between himself and his brother.

After a few minutes, Sam sat up and sighed.  “So do you want to start the conversation or should I,” he asked, refusing to look at Dean.

“What do you want me to say that I haven’t said already, Sammy? I can shout at you and hit you all I want but you’re still gonna go back to Ruby.”

Sam just sat staring at his hands, not saying anything, letting Dean vent out his frustration. He knew his brother was right, no matter how many times they had this conversation he would keep going back to Ruby.  It was dangerous, of course it was, but what in their life _wasn’t_ dangerous? At least this way they actually had a way to stop Lilith and the Apocalypse, even if it involved dealing with demons. But Dean wouldn’t listen, he never had. He didn’t believe that Sam had the situation under control and ignored Sam’s attempts to tell him otherwise.

“What? You’ve got nothing to say? Usually you’re right back in my face when we argue.”

“What’s the point Dean? Every time I try to defend myself you ignore me, talk over me, or turn up the music so you can’t hear me. I told you! I have everything under control!  I can handle this, and you never believe me. But you seem to always miss the fact that we now have a weapon to use against Lilith. Yes it’s dangerous, but now at least we can stop the goddamned Apocalypse! So I’m sorry if you don’t agree but right now, Ruby’s the best damn thing we have going for us.”

Sam had expected Dean to explode. Pull over the car and start swinging at him. Sam could not have been less prepared for what happened next.

“You’re right,” Dean said, glancing at Sam before looking back at the road. “I don’t like it one bit but you’re right.  Your powers are the only weapon we have. I’m just… I’m scared, Sam. We’re working with demons and angels and it’s just too much for me to handle. But I’ve always been able count on you so if you say you’re good then I believe you.”

“Wait, so you’re – you’re _agreeing_ with me?”

“Seems like it. So what’s the next move? How long until we face Lilith?”

“No idea,” Sam said, leaning back in his seat. “I haven’t heard anything from Ruby in a while, and until she contacts me we can’t do much.”

“Well, there is one thing we can do.”

Sam glanced over at Dean, trying to figure out what his brother was thinking.

“You’re abilities include seeing through the Mist, finding your way through the Labyrinth. We can use that.  Cover more ground faster, protect more of the seals, sneak up on demons… Sam we have a huge advantage over those sons of bitches. And they don’t know it yet,” Dean said, a grin spreading over his face as he glanced at Sam to see his reaction.

Sam felt a smile break out over his own face as he thought about his Dean’s suggestion. “That could work,” he said, nodding slowly. Glancing down at the paper in his hand he added, “after this hunt though. We only have an hour further to drive. And besides, I’m gonna need to practice before we actually go through the Labyrinth. Don’t wanna end up in Texas accidentally.”

Dean nodded his agreement. “Alright. After. God Sam, this is going to be great.”

Sam smiled at his brother again before rolling onto his side, muttering “wake me up when we get there,” and falling asleep.

*** 

In the Underworld, under the black archway guarding the entrance to Erebus, a figure flickered in and out of existence, changing between shadowy features and solid flesh, a crown of twisted gold sitting on his head. Glaring up at the cavern roof miles above his head, he swore an Oath to the one who had cast him back to the Underworld.

“I, Minos, past King of Crete, swear to you Nico that I will have my revenge. Before your time is done I will be reborn and I will come after you and destroy you. I swear it on the river Styx.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of The Hunters and the Necromancer! Thanks everyone for reading my first long fanfiction, feedback is greatly appreciated. I will be starting the second part in December once my classes and exams are finished.


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